Laughter
by Musicunderground
Summary: Death Eaters attack the Quidditch World Cup. The Triwizard Tournament is being held at Hogwarts. Moody is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. For Mia Homing, and her friends Fred and George, sixth year is going to be one hell of challenge... George/OC
1. Sittin' Round The Fire

**Hey! So this is a new story. George/OC, as you've probably guessed. Its set during Goblet of Fire, and follows the basic story line. So, I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that belongs to JK Rowling. I do own mia Homing**

Chapter 1: Sittin' Round the Fire

Mia had always hated camping, but this! _This_ was amazing. Camping the way the wizards did it. With real ovens in real kitchens. And comfy beds in separate bedrooms. Yes, Mia really didn't miss the Muggle life at all.

Mia was a Muggle-Born witch, and, after five full years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, she still didn't know everything about the Wizarding World.

But she was proud to be a Witch, and she was proud to have been Sorted into Gryffindor House when she'd started.

As she traipsed around the extraordinary campsite, she ogled at the miracles of magic with eyes that were far too wide for her face, and a light brown colour. She kept an eye out for anyone she knew. Hopefully she'd find Angelina Johnson, or Alicia Spinnet, Katie Bell, or hopefully the Weasley's.

She'd met Fred and George Weasley on the Hogwarts Express on her very first journey to Hogwarts. Despite the fact that Fred had constantly gotten her name wrong for the first week they'd known each other (probably purposely, just to annoy her), and that the first time she'd met Percy, he'd told her that the twins would be a bad influence, Mia, Fred and George had practically stuck together like glue.

For almost forty-five minutes she searched the campsite, until, finally, she spotted many dots of fiery red. Grinning, she started to skip across the grass towards them. She stumbled a couple of times, but she wasn't sure whether that was due to the fact that it was quite muddy, or whether she was wearing three inch heels. Of course, it could have bee a combination of both.

She stopped behind two of the redheads. They were all sitting around a fire; there were a few she didn't recognise. One of them was a redhead, so she guessed he was Bill, the oldest Weasley brother who worked at Gringotts.

Everyone who was sitting opposite to where she was standing (Ron, Charlie, Mr Weasley and Harry Potter) grinned at her. Hermione, Ginny, Percy and Bill followed their gaze and smiled at her as well. Well, Ginny and Hermione smiled, Percy didn't look to happy to see her, and Bill had never met her. To him, she was probably some random person who had come to invade their privacy. There was also a rather large man who was talking really loudly and was holding a box which, Mia guessed, was being used for bets.

The last two people to see her Fred and George, who turned around once they realised the attention was no longer on them. Pushing her mousy-brown hair out of her face, Mia grinned.

"Did ya miss me?" She asked. Fred rolled his eyes whilst George's face practically lit up.

"Miss you?" He asked, "how were we meant to miss you with all the letters you were sending us?" He shifted so Mia could sit down between him and Fred.

"Yes," Mia replied, almost thoughtfully, "letters that I seem to remember, George," she looked at him pointedly, "that you replied to oh-so-quickly." She grinned, as blood rushed up to his face. "Hey everyone!" she greeted everyone else.

Everyone greeted her kindly, albeit Percy was more polite then kind, and Bill still seemed a bit confused. Noticing his confusing, Fred decided to introduce him.

"Bill," he said, "this is Mia, a rather good friend of ours." Leaning over, Bill held put his hand, and Mia shook it.

"Hi," she said. He nodded back to her, smiling slightly. As she leaned back, Mia shifted slightly, so that she was leaning onto George. He really had no choice but to put his arm around her. Either that, or let it go numb.

"And this," George pointed to the large man, "is Ludo Bagman, who we've just made a bet with," all three of them grinned.

"God help us," she muttered, "how much?" she looked from George to Fred and back to George.

"Thirty-seven Galleons fifteen sickles and three knuts," Fred told her, rather proudly.

"All their savings," Mr Weasley said gravely.

"You bet _all of your savings_?" Mia asked in disbelief, and they nodded, almost proudly.

"Who did you bet on?" she asked cautiously.

"We bet that Krum would catch the snitch-" Fred started.

"-But Ireland will win," George finished. Mia nodded, then her brow furrowed.

"… Who's Krum?" she asked, feeling slightly stupid, as she

"You don't know who Krum is?" Ron asked from the other side of the fire, Mia just shook her head.

"He's the best Seeker in the _world_! Plays for Bulgaria!" he told her, eyes wide with admiration for the man that wasn't there, "how can you not know about him?"

"Do you know who David Beckham is?" Mia asked, irritated, glaring at him. She heard Hermione and Harry snigger at her example (ok, so maybe it wasn't the _best_ example, but it was still a pretty good one). Ron just shook his head. "Right, so don't question my knowledge, and I won't question yours. As little as that knowledge may be."

"Now, now, Mia, don't bite our _dear_ brother's head off," George said, smirking.

"That head's hollow, George, it wouldn't make much of a difference, definitely make it easier to look a-at," she stuttered, ever so slightly, as George started drawing circles lightly on her arm. He smirked when he noticed.

"-Talk of the devil, Barty!" her head snapped up as Ludo shouted over to some guy. Obviously she had failed to notice that everyone around the fire had gone off into their own conversations. She watched as Percy all but kissed the floor the man the man walked on, but was obviously not cared for at all in return.

She soon got bored and closed her eyes, leaning her head against George's shoulder as he traced circles on her arm. She lifted up her free hand and copied him, dragging her finger lightly around on the arm he was using, smirking as he stopped drawing for a second in surprise.

"You're Muggle-Born!" she heard Fred exclaim. Opening her eyes, she looked over at him, not stopping the circles. "Well done," she told him flatly.

"So… who're you here with?" he asked her. Mia rolled her eyes; must she explain every little thing to him? Yes, obviously she must. "Sally Baker, she lives down the road from me," she explained, "She's a witch. She was really helpful when we found out 'bout me being all a Witch." Then she glanced at her watch, and sighed.

"Actually, I should probably be getting back… what box you in?"

"Top box! Best seat in the house!" Fred told her, excitedly. Mia blinked at him, and then glanced at George.

"You're kidding?" Fred shook his head

"Well, then, I'm guessing Sally's a seer, or she just got the same box as you lot by coincidence," Mia went to cross her arms to conclude her point, but George's arm was around her too tightly, which she was absolutely fine with. Unfortunately, she really had to go; she'd told Sally she'd only be a little while, and she'd probably been gone ages. She took forever trying to find the Weasley's tent.

She stood up, and George reluctantly let go of her, and walked backwards, so she could call out goodbye. "Oh!" She stopped walking, "How many OWLs did you two get?"

The twins grinned, "Six between us!" they both called out, seeming immensely proud of themselves. "You?" Mia pretended to think a minute, counting them up on her fingers.

"Five!" She replied, "But I don't have to share with anyone! See you at the match!" she ran off before they could call her a smart-ass.

**Well, I hoped you liked this first chapter.**

**Please Review!**


	2. The Match

**Hey! Well, I'm guessing you thought the first chapter was at least half decent to read this far, so thanks!**

**Thanks to: Sam, Chrissie DeKourson and Lobo de Fuego for reviewing. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter, do own Mia Homing**

Chapter 2: The Match

"Mia? Are you ready?" Sally knocked on Mia's bedroom door. It was actually a door! In a tent! Mia still couldn't believe it.

"Yep!" Mia said, throwing on a pair of heeled boots.

"Let's go then!" Mia flung her door open, grinning. She'd watched the games at Hogwarts, but she knew they would be nothing compared to what she was about to witness.

Sally smiled at her, "Come on then," she said, jerking her head towards the tent's front door.

They trudged along a forest path, with Mia jumping up every now and then, trying to catch a glimpse of the Stadium.

She grinned as she heard familiar excited voices, and turned round. A few people were between her and the Weasley's, so she grabbed Sally's wrist and jolted her to a stop, letting the other people pass before slipping in next to George. "Fred, George, meet Sally. Sally- Fred and George," she said, gesturing to each of them.

"Whoa, where'd you come from?" George asked, blinking hard as if she'd just popped up out of the ground.

"We were in front of you," Mia shrugged, "we let the foreign people pass," she gestured to the people in front, who were yelling loudly in a different language. Mia greeted Charlie, who had also noticed that she had turned up.

They continued walking for a while, talking and laughing. Finally, they burst through the trees, and Mia's mouth fell open slightly, her eyes getting even wide. The solid gold stadium standing in front of her, and she wondered how it was possible, even with magic.

Looking behind him, George rolled his eyes and grinned. Someone staggered around her, and muttered something under their breath.

"Mia?" he called, waving a hand in front of her face, and laughing when she snapped back to reality.

"that's amazing," she nodded to the Stadium, and then looked up to see everyone else a little ahead. "c'mon!" she said, grabbing his wrist and running to catch up with them.

They entered the Stadium, climbing higher and higher. Everyone kept looking up, wondering when they'd finally reach their box. Behind her, Fred and George started reminiscing about other famous Quidditch matches, saying how they wouldn't even compare to this.

Finally, though, they reached the top box, and Mia looked down to the pitch. She could see people in boxes below and around them. talking in different languages, wearing odd clothes, screaming support for different teams. But they all had one thing in common. They were all excited for the match to start.

Next to her, Fred and George fell silent, mid-sentence. Mia looked up from the programme she was reading, to see why.

Just a little way away, the Minister for Magic was speaking to a man Mia didn't recognise at first. However, after noticing Draco Malfoy standing next to him, realised it must be his father. There was also a woman, who must have been his mother.

"Ah, Fudge," said Mr Malfoy, holding out his hand as he reached the Minister of Magic. "How are you? I don't think you've met my wife, Narcissa? Or our son, Draco?"

"How do you do, how do you do?" said Fudge, smiling and nodding his head towards the woman, "And allow me to introduce you to Mr. Oblansk… Obalonsk… Mr… well, he's the Bulgarian Minister of Magic, and he can't understand a word I'm saying anyway, so never mind," Fudge shrugged slightly, "And let's see who else… you know Arthur Weasley, I daresay?" everyone looked over at Mr. Weasley, who looked somewhat sour.

"Good lord, Arthur," Mr Malfoy said, "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?" Mia narrowed her eyes.

"Lucius has just given a very generous contribution to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, Arthur. He's here as my guest," Fudge said brightly. Mia grimaced.

"Knowing people like _them_ give money to St. Mungo's almost makes me not want to work there," Mia muttered to Fred and George.

"Almost?" George's eyebrows quirked.

"Yeah, if I work there, then maybe one day one of those Malfoy's will end up there, and I'll be able to make them worse instead of better!" Mia laughed a bit at the thought.

After a while, she went back to flicking through her programmed.

"What kind of mascots do the teams bring?" she asked. Fred was stopped from answering by Ludo Bagman striding into the box.

"Everyone ready?" he asked, sticking his wand to his neck, and then saying "Sonorus!"

"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome! Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!" he boomed.

Everyone in the stands cheered, waving hands and flags, and singing national anthems.

"And now," Bagman said, and the crowd quietened, "without further ado, allow me to introduce… the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"

A hundred very beautiful women walked onto the pitch. A hundred freakily beautiful women. They began dancing and Mia noticed Fred and George lean over the barrier. She narrowed her eyes at the Veela.

"What are they?" Mia asked.

"Veela!" Hermione answered, slightly bitterly, from a few seats down.

Finally, they stopped dancing. Fred, George, and practically every other male in the Stadium blinked and stood up straighter. Harry, just down the row from Mia, had to get off of the chair he was trying to jump off.

"And now!" Bagman yelled, "Kindly put your wands in the air… for the Irish National Team Mascots!" green and gold light flew into the stadium.

It flew around the pitch, and as it flew meters away from their box, Mia managed to catch a glimpse of tiny men with beards and torches.

"Oh my god, their leprechauns!" she yelled, a smile breaking out over her face.

The leprechauns started to drop gold into the stands, and Mia, Fred and George jumped up to catch some of it.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," Bagman said, holding out his hands, "kindly welcome… the Bulgarian National Quidditch Team! I give you Dimitrov!"

A person in scarlet Quidditch robes came flying onto the field, as the Bulgarian supporters screamed.

"Ivanova! Zograf! Levski! Vulchanov! Volkov! Aaaaaaand Krum!"

"And now," Bagman shouted, "please greet… the Irish National Quidditch Team! Presenting: Connolly!"

A figure in bright green soared onto the pitch, and the Ireland supports became even louder then the Bulgarian ones.

"Ryan! Troy! Mullet! Moran! Quigley! Aaaaaand Lynch!"

"And here, all the way from Egypt, our referee, acclaimed Chairwizard of the International Association of Quidditch, Hassan Mostafa!"

A small wizard strode onto the pitch, carrying a large, heavy box. He kicked the box open, and the balls flew up into the air. He flew up into the air, and blew his whistle.

And then the game started. _Really_ started. The Quaffle flew higher, the Bludgers were hit harder, and the players flew faster then Mia had ever seen.

She borrowed Hermione's Omnioculars for a while, but gave them back after almost dropping them in the box below.

Suddenly, both the seekers dived. Speeding towards the ground. "They're going to crash!" she heard Hermione shriek. A split second later, Lynch thudded into the ground, just as Krum pulled up.

"TIME-OUT!" Bagman yelled, as a bunch of Healers fled onto the pitch.

Mia leaned over the barriers, trying to get a better view of what was going on down on the ground far beneath them. As one of her feet unconsciously lifted off of the ground so she could even further, George caught onto her waist, to stop her from falling.

"OI!" she said, pulling out of his grip. She went straight back to leaning over the bars again. George rolled his eyes and glanced at Fred, who just shrugged.

After she almost toppled over the bars again, he just resorted to holding onto her waist.

Down on the pitch, Lynch stood up, slightly dazed. However, he still got back onto his broom, and flew back up to the other players.

George pulled Mia away from the barrier, but didn't let go of her waist. Not that she minded.

Twenty minutes passed, although it seemed much shorted to the screaming crowd. The more points Ireland scored, the more the leprechauns gloated. And the angrier the Veelas got. They stood up and started to dance. George let go of her waist, and, along with all the other boys, covered his ears.

Finally (after the ref had been kicked by a Healer to stop him showing off), the Veelas sat back down, and the game resumed.

The longer the game went on, the more points Ireland scored. The leprechauns really couldn't seem to help themselves; they gloated and taunted the Veela, who finally seemed to have enough. They stood up again, and flew across the pitch. Mia tugged Hermione's Onnioculars away and pressed them to her face. the Veelas face were now bird-like and ugly, wings were sprouting from they back and shooting fire at the leprechauns from their hands.

Mia dropped the Omnioculars from her face in surprise, handing them back to Hermione.

"And that boys," she heard Mr Weasley yell, "is why you should never go for looks alone!"

"Too right," Mia muttered, turning her attention back to the sky above.

There were groans from crowd as a bludger slammed into Krum's face, and blood spilled everywhere. For a second, everyone waited for the whistle to blow. It didn't. Looking around, Mia almost laughed as she saw the referee flying around in panic, the tail of his broom on fire.

Suddenly, Lynch dived, speeding towards the ground. And Krum was following him. Everyone lurched forwards, watching the two Seekers. They got closer to the ground. They got _even closer _to the ground.

Lynch crashed. Krum pulled up.

"The Snitch! Where's the Snitch?" Charlie yelled from next to Fred.

Mia's eyes flicked from Lynch to Krum, who was holding something. "He's got it- Krum's got it… its all over!" she heard Harry shout.

"IRLAND WINS! KRUM GETS THE SNITCH, BUT IRLAND WINS!" Bagman shouted, shocked.

The words sunk into Mia's head, and she remembered the bet Fred and George had told her about.

"Oh my God," she said, and turned around to face George, who was maybe just a little bit too close.

"What?" he asked, taken aback at her sudden proximity.

"You won!" she screamed, over the noise of the crowd, "you won your bet!"

Fred and George looked at each other, and they cracked out grins. Mia squealed and flung her arms around george, who stumbled back a bit. Looking back to his brother, he saw that Fred had raised his eyebrows, and was smirking knowingly.

"Let's have a round for the gallant losers," Bagman bellowed, "Bulgaria!"

The Bulgarian team shuffled into the top box, with Krum still grasping the Snitch. Mia applauded enthusiastically, along with everyone else in the stadium.

And then came the Irish team, and Bagman's voice couldn't be heard over the roar of the crowd. Lynch was dazed and was being supported by two of the other players.

And when the Cup was lifted by them, the crowd got even louder, if that was even possible.

As Bagman took the charm off of his voice, Fred and george rushed over the back of their seats, and held out their hands to him.

"ah… yes, yes… I owe you… how much?"

Seconds later, they scrambled back next to Mia, stuffing all the gold into their pockets, beaming.

Laughing at them, she said, "Put that money to good use!"

"Oh, don't worry. We will," they said together, a mischievous glint in their eyes.

**Hope you liked it! Please Review!**


	3. Masks and Trees

**Hey! How you all doing?**

**Thanks to: MXlover5 for reviewing :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, that belongs to Jo Rowling**

Chapter 3: Masks and Trees

"We're rich! We're rich!"

"Woot, woot!"

"We're rich! We're rich!"

"Woot, woot!"

"We're rich! We're rich!" Fred and George sang.

"Woot, woot!" Mia chanted. Fred, George and Mia jumped and danced about, celebrating the twins (and Ireland's) victory, Mia with a mug of hot chocolate in her hand.

There was a slight _thump_ as Ginny feel asleep at the table, hot chocolate spilled onto the grass. Mr Weasley told everyone they should go to bed, and Sally told Mia they should be getting back to their tent.

"Awwww!" she complained, but turned to Fred and George, and said, "guess I'll see you guys on the train," she hugged both of them quickly, and then ran after Sally.

* * *

"MIA!"

She heard the shout and her eyes flew open. Sitting up in her bed, she saw that the door to her little tent-room was flung wide open, with Sally flitting about, pulling on a jacket.

"What?" Mia asked, irritated, rubbing her eyes and running a hand through her hair.

Then she registered the screaming. screaming and shrieking from outside of the tent. And it didn't sound a bit like celebrating.

She flew out of bed and caught the trainers Sally threw to her. she slipped them on and caught the jacket that had been thrown, before dashing out of the tent behind Sally.

A large group of people had just passed the tent next to there's, dressed in black robes with hoods, there was something floating above them, but Mia couldn't see what it was. She didn't really _want_ to know what it was. People around them were screaming and running, trying to avoid the flaming tents.

Instinctively, Mia's hand flew to her pocket, trying to find her wand. She couldn't.

Shouting with shock, she slid back into the tent, looking around frantically.

"No, no, no!" she was muttering, throwing up clothes and cringing at every loud explosion from outside.

"MIA!" she heard Sally cry, just as she grabbed a wand from under a t-shirt.

There was a particularly loud explosion. Heat flared. Loud flashed. She screamed and ran, bursting out of tent, smoking, but not alight.

Together, her and Sally ran away from the burning tent, and into the mass of panicking people.

For around ten minutes, Sally kept a firm grip on Mia's arm. But then someone pushed themselves between them, and Sally was lost on the crowd.

She swore and continued to push and shove, trying not to trip or stumble.

"Sally? SALLY?" she screamed, and yelled out in pain when her foot twisted violently.

Someone pushed her forward, and she stumbled and ran, wincing every time she stood on her left foot.

It suddenly got darker. She looked up; trees were shadowing them, hiding the moon. They looked sinister and scary.

Someone rammed into her and she started to fall. Grabbing onto something for support as she yelled, but she still fell onto her back. She screamed out in pain as the person she had grabbed fell heavily onto her bad ankle, and she head a _crack_.

"Oh, Merlin, I'm sorry!" the person shouted. Blinking and looking up, Mia saw a young woman with pink hair.

Shaking her head, Mia tried to get up. But as soon as she put any weight onto her left foot, she yelled in pain and collapsed back down.

The woman grabbed her arm and steadied her.

"What's wrong?" the woman asked.

Shaking her head, Mia pulled out her wand and bent down, wincing. She prodded her ankle, muttering, "_Episkey_." Her ankle became very hot for a second, before cooling down.

She flexed her foot a little, before standing on it gingerly. There was no more pain.

"You ok?" the woman asked, slowly letting go of Mia.

"Yep… I think…" Mia muttered. The woman smiled weakly, before they ran back to the path, getting washed away in the river of people.

Even though Mia didn't know her, she tried to stay close to the woman. However, within just a few minutes, she could not longer see her, not even the top of her vibrant pink head.

She stumbled and got pushed off of the path again. she fell over a tree root, and slammed her head against a rather hard tree root.

Standing up, she staggered a bit, clutching her head. Looking up, she tried to follow the voices, but a pounding pain in her head disorientated her.

Trees blocked her way, and she ended up getting further and further away from the path.

Then she heard a snap and crunch, like someone walking over leaves and twigs. There was muttering and the sound of breathing.

Letting go of her still throbbing head, she held her wand out in front of her.

Two people emerged from the trees, with hooded black cloaks and masked faces and wands alight. They stopped, and one of them chuckled, and she could guess what was running though their minds.

Who was she? A sixteen year old girl against two fully grown wizards?

They turned their wands on her and she licked her lips nervously.

"Why don't you just run along?" the taller of the two asked.

"And perhaps we wont hurt you," the shorter one continued.

"Who are you?" she asked, and she was quite proud that she managed to keep the fear out of her voice.

"Why would we tell you that?" she could hear the smirk in his voice.

"What? Too _scared_ to show your faces?" she countered, swallowing. The shorter one started forward, but the other one grabbed onto his robes.

"Now, now, you don't want to be upsetting my friend here," he said.

"You deserve a little upsetting," she told them, holding her wand tightly, "with the amount you people you and your mates have scared tonight. There are KIDS here!"

She saw the tall one raise his wand even higher, and she prepared herself. There was a spell on the edge of her lips, and her arm was ready to flick her wand. But she didn't get a chance to use it.

She screamed as she was jerked away from the two men, and quickly pushed onto a path. She clawed at the arm that was holding her to try and get free.

"Stop tearing my bloody skin off!" a familiar voice said. She stopped in shock as she was hauled into the light of Fred and Ginny's wands

"Oh good, you found her!" Fred said as relief spread over Ginny's face.

Mia looked up and saw George huffing and lighting his own wand.

"Um," she said, "_how_ did you find me?" they started to trudge along the path.

"I could hear you and your gobby mouth a mile off," George said, "really, that's gunna get you killed someday." He muttered the last part

Mia rolled her eyes, "well, thanks for coming to 'save' me," she said, "but I could've taken them."

This time, it was George who rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mia," he said, dryly, "you could've taken two _fully grown_ wizards."

Mia looked at him for a second, then huffed and crossed her arms, "oh, shut up."

She saw him grin before they got out of the trees.

Ginny stopped walking, staring up at the sky. Slowly, Fred, Mia and george looked up as well.

There, just hanging amongst the stars, was a large, green skull, with a snake coming out of its mouth.

Fred and george glanced at each other, before saying, "Let's go."

Fred grabbed onto Ginny's hand, and George took hold of Mia's, pulling them along quickly.

"What is it?" Mia asked, gaping at the thing in the sky.

"I can't remember what it's called," George said, his eyes darting about.

She was about to ask another question, but in front of them, Fred hurried along even faster, pulling Ginny, and Mia and George followed them.

They made their way back to the Weasley's tent to see Charlie, Bill and Percy. All of them looked relieved to see them.

"Merlin, your ok!" Bill said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Where d'ya find her?" Charlie asked, looking at Mia as she smiled wearily at him.

"Just in the woods," Ginny replied, "where was Sally?"

Mia shook her head, "I dunno," she said, "we got separated, then I fell and someone stepped on my ankle and it got broken-"

"Is it alright?" George asked.

"Hm? Oh yeah, its fine, I fixed it, but then I got shoved away from her and then George found me…" she conveniently left out the bit about the masked guys. George glanced at her, but let it slide.

They heard voices outside and Charlie went to stick his head out the tent-flap. "Dad, what's going on?" he called, "Fred, George and Ginny got back alright, and they have Mia, but the others-"

"I've got them here," Mr Weasley came into the tent, with Harry, Hermione and Ron trailing behind. Ron was limping ever so slightly, but they looked fine otherwise.

"Did you get them, Dad," Bill asked, "the person who conjured the Mark?"

"No," Mr Weasley replied, slowly, "we found Barty Crouch's elf holding Harry's wand, but we're none the wiser about who actually conjured the Mark." He ran a hand over his face.

"What?" asked Bill, Charlie, and Percy, taken aback.

"Harry's wand?" said Fred.

"Mr Crouch's elf?" Percy asked, dumbfounded.

"Well, Mr Crouch is quite right to get rid of an elf like that!" Percy said, once they had finished, and raised her eyebrows, "Running away when he'd expressly told her not to… embarrassing him in front of the whole Ministry… how would that have looked, if she'd been brought up in front of the Department for the Regulation and Control!" he seemed as if he could go on, but Hermione cut him off.

"She didn't do anything!" she snapped, "she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time!"

"Hermione," Percy told her, "a wizard in Mr. Crouch's position can't afford a house-elf who's going to run amok with a wand!" he held his arms out to emphasis his point.

"She didn't run amok!" shrieked Hermione indignantly, "She just picked it up off the ground!"

At the same time, Mia and Ron get fed up. "What the hell was that… _thing_ in the sky?" Mia asked.

"Look, can someone just explain what that skull thing was?" said Ron at the same time. "It wasn't hurting anyone... Why's it such a big deal?"

"I told you," Hermione said to Ron, "its You-Know-Who's symbol. I read about it in The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts."

"And it hasn't been seen for thirteen years," said Mr Weasley said softly, "Of course people panicked… it was almost like seeing You-Know-Who back again."

Mia stared wide-eyed at him, listening intently.

"I don't get it… I mean," Ron said, "it's still only a shape in the sky…"

"Ron, You-Know-Who and his followers sent the Dark Mark into the air whenever they killed. The terror it inspired… you have no idea, you're too young. Just picture coming home and finding the Dark Mark hovering over your house, and knowing what you're about to find inside… Everyone's worst fear… the very worst." Mr Weasley explained, slowly trailing off into silence.

"Well," Bill said, "it didn't help us tonight, whoever conjured it. It scared the Death Eaters away the moment they saw it. They all Disapparated before we'd got near enough to unmask any of them. We caught the Robertses before they hit the ground, though. They're having their memories modified right now."

Mia stared at him in confusion, as Harry voiced her exact thoughts.

"Death Eaters? What are Death Eaters?"

"It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves," Bill explained, "I think we saw what's left of them tonight, the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway."

Mia nodded and crossed her arms.

"We can't prove it was them, Bill," Mr Weasley sighed, "Though it probably was."

"Yeah, I bet it was!" Ron burst, "Dad, we met Draco Malfoy in the woods, and he as good as told us his dad was one of those nutters in masks! And we all know the Malfoys were right in with You-Know-Who!"

"Were they?" Mia asked, and Ron nodded. To be honest, it didn't surprise her much

"But what were Voldemort's supporters-" Harry began to say.

Along with everyone else in the tent, Mia flinched. True, she hadn't grown up in the Wizarding World, with the terror of You-Know-Who (even after he was gone), but he still scared her. She hadn't even known You-Know-Who's real name until a few years ago, and had picked up the habit of wincing whenever it was said.

"Sorry," Harry apologies, "What were _You-Know-Who's_ supporters up to, levitating Muggles? I mean, what was the point?"

"The point?" Mr Weasley gave an empty, emotionless laugh, "Harry, that's their idea of fun. Half the Muggle killings back when You-Know-Who was in power were done for fun."

Mia cringed at the thought of Muggle killings. Noticing, George pulled her back and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly.

"I suppose they had a few drinks tonight and couldn't resist reminding us all that lots of them are still at large. A nice little reunion for them," Mr Weasley finished.

"But if they were the Death Eaters," Ron said, confused, "why did they Disapparate when they saw the Dark Mark? They'd have been pleased to see it, wouldn't they?"

"Use your brains, Ron," Bill rolled his eyes, "If they really were Death Eaters, they worked very hard to keep out of Azkaban when You-Know-Who lost power, and told all sorts of lies about him forcing them to kill and torture people. I bet they'd be even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back." Bill shrugged, "They denied they'd ever been involved with him when he lost his powers, and went back to their daily lives… I don't reckon he'd be over-pleased with them, do you?"

"So… whoever conjured the Dark Mark…" said Hermione slowly, "were they doing it to show support for the Death Eaters, or to scare them away?"

"Your guess is as good as ours, Hermione," said Mr Weasley, "But I'll tell you this… it was only the Death Eaters who ever knew how to conjure it. I'd be very surprised if the person who did it hadn't been a Death Eater once, even if they're not now," He sighed, "Listen, it's very late, and if your mother hears what's happened she'll be worried sick. We'll get a few more hours sleep and then try and get an early Portkey out of here."

Everyone made their way back to their beds, and seeing as Sally had failed to turn up, Mia was given a place in the girl's tent.

She climbed wearily into the bed next to Ginny's. for a while, she lay awake, thinking of everything she had learnt that night. she winced when she ran over the conversation about Muggle-Hunts again, but reminded herself that You-Know-Who himself wasn't back, and this was probably just a one off thing. She hoped, anyway.

**Well, hope you lied it! Can you guess who Mia met in the forest? Y'kniw, the woman that broke her ankles?**

**Please Review!**


	4. Hogwarts Express

**Here's chapter three for you!**

**Thanks to: my-little-star, '-Magical Moonshine-', Sam, Natalie anonymos, ThePineapple, tOrNaDoChAsEr11 for reviewing. And well done to my-little-star, '-Magical Moonshine-', Sam, ThePineapple and tOrNaDoChAsEr11 for guessing correctly. Yes, it was Tonks. Though, c'mon, it wasn't that hard, was it?**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Harry Potter. Do own Mia**

Chapter 4: Hogwarts Express

Mia got out of the car and stretched, feeling her joints click after the three hour car journey. She stood there for a second, before walking around to the back of the car and helping her dad heave her Hogwarts trunk out of the boot, and drop it onto a trolley.

The morning after the World Cup, Sally still wasn't to be seen, so Mia went back to the Burrow with the Weasley's, Harry and Hermione. Around mid-day, when Mia was playing Quidditch with Bill, Charlie, Fred, George, Ginny and Harry (using Percy's broom, why he actually had one she didn't know) Sally had Apperated at the Burrow's front door, distressed and worried. She told Mia that she had stayed in one of her friend's tents for the night, and by the time she had found the Weasley's spot, they had already gone. They had left at 5pm, and Mia had spent the remainder of the holidays sending letters back and forth with Fred and George.

Mia and her parents walked through King's Cross, making their way over to platforms nine and ten

"You know," her mother started, "if you weren't a witch, you wouldn't be going back to school this year…"

"Yeah I would," Mia replied, "I'd probably be going to collage." Mrs Homing sighed.

As they got nearer to platforms nine and ten, Mia spotted the Weasley's. She bid her parents goodbye, and made her way over to them, lugging her trunk behind her.

"Hey guys!" she said, cheerily, as Harry, Ron and Hermione were sliding through the barrier.

"Oh, hello, Mia," Mrs Weasley said, "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks," she nodded, "Alright, guys," she looked at the twins.

Mrs Weasley nodded, then said, "You lot should be getting onto the platform, then."

Fred and George went through first, with Mia just a pace behind them, and she emerged onto Platform 9¾. They clambered up onto the scarlet Hogwarts Express, with Harry, Ron, Ginny and Hermione.

"I might be seeing you all sooner than you think," Charlie said.

"Why?" Mia asked, leaning out the window.

"You'll see," said Charlie, tapping his nose. "Just don't tell Percy I mentioned it... its 'classified information, until such time as the Ministry sees fit to release it,' after all." Mia giggled a bit, but Fred scowled.

"Yeah, I sort of wish I were back at Hogwarts this year," said Bill wistfully.

"Why?" George asked, hanging out the window next to Mia.

"You're going to have an interesting year," Bill replied, grinning, "I might even get time off to come and watch a bit of it." Mia cocked her head to the side.

"A bit of what?" said Ron. Then the whistle blew.

"Thanks for having us to stay, Mrs Weasley," said Hermione.

"Yeah, thanks for everything, Mrs Weasley," said Harry.

"Oh, it was my pleasure, dears," said Mrs Weasley. "I'd invite you for Christmas, but…" she paused, "well… I expect you're all going to want to stay at Hogwarts, what with… one thing and another."

"Mum!" said Ron irritably. "What d'ya three know that we don't?"

"What's happening at Christmas?" Mia asked, her forehead creased.

"You'll find out this evening, I expect," Mrs Weasley smiled "It's going to be very exciting. Mind you, I'm very glad they've changed the rules-"

"What rules?" said Harry, Ron, Fred, George and Mia together.

"I'm sure Professor Dumbledore will tell you…" Mrs Weasley told them, "Now, behave, won't you? Won't you, Fred? And you, George? And Mia? At least try to keep them on the line at the very least, please?"

Mia laughed. "I'll try my best," She said, "no promises though," she muttered the last part to George.

The pistons hissed loudly and the train began to move.

"Tell us what's happening at Hogwarts!" Fred bellowed out of the window as Mrs Weasley, Bill, and Charlie became smaller and smaller.

"What rules are they changing?" Mia yelled, hair whipping around her face.

But Mrs Weasley only smiled and waved. Before the train left, she, Bill, and Charlie had Disapparated.

They walked down the train, but the compartments were already filling up fast. Harry, Ron and Hermione pushed themselves into a compartment, and Ginny left to find her friends.

Mia sighed as they passed the tenth full compartment.

Finally, though, she found one.

"Here we go!" she exclaimed, sliding the door open, and stepping inside.

Fred and George pushed their trunks up onto the rack, with Mia following their lead.

"I can do it!" she said, scowling slightly as Fred moved to help her.

"Ok, ok," he replied, grinning, his hands held up in mock surrender. Finally, she pushed it up and fell onto a seat.

"So…" she began, as they passed through a town, "what did you boys do this summer? Besides the World Cup, I mean… and almost get blown up by Dead Eaters…" she grimaced a bit.

"Dea_th_ Eaters, Mia," Fred corrected her, and she rolled her eyes, "and we didn't really do much else, did we?" he looked over at George.

"Nah," he replied, "we made some more products for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," he shrugged.

"Like what?" Mia asked, cocking her head to the side, and crossing her legs on the seat.

The twins grinned wickedly, and launched into a story about giving Harry's cousin a Ton Tongue Toffee.

"You guys a _terrible_," Mia told them, laughing.

"Eh, you love us for it," Fred replied, smirking. Mia raised her eyebrows for a second.

"Yeah," she admitted, shrugging, her eyes flickering over to George. She looked down to her lap, and licked her lips.

"What 'bout you?" George asked, after a second.

"Well…" she thought for a second, "I went to Jess' for week about halfway through the holiday, y'know, my cousin's."

"Yes, we know who Jess is, Mia," Fred cut her off, "you talk about her all the time."

"What can I say? She's better company then _you_, Fred," she winked at George, who chuckled at the look of mock-offence on Fred's face.

"Anyway," she continued, "she lives just outside London, so we took the Underground into London and went shopping… but that'll bore you… also went to Spain for a week with Mum and Dad. Got a lovely tan," she held out her arms and gestured to her legs, both of which were much darker then her face.

"What's the Underground?" Fred asked. Mia rolled her eyes.

"I've explained it to you a hundred times," she stated.

"Yeah, well, explain it again!"

Again, Mia rolled her eyes. "Right, basically it's these trains that go in tunnels…"

* * *

The sky outside started to darken. Or, at least, they assumed it started to darken. It was kind of hard to tell due to the large, black storm clouds and the rain pelting down by the gallon.

Mia dozed off about three quarters of the way through the journey. She had to get up rather early to make sure she could get to the Hogwarts Express by eleven. Plus her father always made sure they left earlier then actually needed, in case they ran into traffic.

However, she woke up just in time to see Fred bending over her with a quill and ink pot out. She stared at him blankly, but he just grinned, and flicked the ink-covered quill at her, cause ink to splatter across her left cheek.

She squeaked and swore at him, rubbing at her face with her hand, though all she resulted in doing was smearing the spots of ink across her cheek bone.

She looked out of the window, rubbing her eyes, as the train started to slowdown.

"Ugh," she muttered, "_finally_."

**Kind of a filler chapter, but it needed to be there. Oh well, still hoped you liked it :)**

**Please Review!**


	5. The Hogwarts Feats

**Hey! Hope you're all ok!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with the Harry Potter Universe, but I do own Mia**

Chapter 5: The Hogwarts Feast

"I hate rain," Mia muttered, as she, Fred and George trudged into the Entrance Hall. Their hair was flattened to their hairs, their robes were soaked through, it was nearly impossible to see because of water in their eyes. But the ink still hadn't come off of Mia's cheek.

"ARRGH!" someone yelled from behind them and they all turned round to see Ron standing there, a new batch of water falling off his head, and Peeves cackling above them.

"Oh god…" Mia groaned, as Peeves started letting water balloons on the students' heads. One landed on George's head and splashed Fred, causing Mia to giggle a little bit. But she stopped when one exploded on top of her own head.

"PEEVES!" Professor McGonagall screeched. "Peeves get down here NOW!" she yelled, walking down the steps.

"Not doing nothing!" hooted Peeves, who threw another water bomb. "Already wet, aren't they? Little squirts! Wheeeeeeeeee!" he threw another one at Fred, George and Mia, who scattered apart.

"I shall call the headmaster!" shouted Professor McGonagall. "I'm warning you, Peeves-"

The Poltergeist stuck out his tongue, threw one more water balloon and flew away.

"Well, move along, then!" said Professor McGonagall sharply to the bedraggled crowd. "Into the Great Hall, come on!"

"I hate him," Mia said, as she squeezed out her hair, "I really, really hate him."

"Ah, c'mon," Fred said, as they made their way over to the Gryffindor table, "you've gotta admit, _some_ of the stuff he does is funny!"

"Like what?" Mia exclaimed, now ringing out her robes.

"Like when he does it to Slytherins," Fred offered, as they sat down. Mia looked at him for a second.

"Good point."

Opposite them, Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet and Katie Bell sat down.

"Hey," Angelina greeted, sighing.

"You alright?" Mia replied, and the three Chasers nodded.

"I just got his with two of those water balloons," Katie complained, "in a row!"

Mia grimaced, "I only got hit with one."

"Anyways," Angelina cut in, "Oliver's gone this year, right?" she asked, referring to the previous keeper of the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Mia closed her eyes and groaned.

"Yeah," Katie replied.

"Mia-?"

"_NO_!" she cut her off, "I'm not joining the bloody Quidditch team!"

"But we need a new Keeper!" Alicia said.

"Then have try-outs!" Mia replied, "Isn't that what you're meant to do? As a Captain?"

"I'm not captain," Angelina shrugged.

"Neither am I," Katie added.

"Or me," Alicia said.

Fred and George glanced at each other, and Mia looked confused. "Well we're not, either," the twins said.

"Well, how can you _not_ have a captain?" Mia asked.

"What about Harry?" Katie asked. George shook his head,

"No," he replied, "We'd know if he was…"

"Yeah," Mia said, "and he's a bit young, ain't he?" she looked down the table at him, and waved to Hermione.

The large double doors burst open, and McGonagall led the cold, wet, pale, scared-looking First Years in. There was one tiny little boy shuddering under what looked like Hagrid's massive coat.

McGonagall set the Sorting Hat down on the stool, and everyone in the Hall waited. Some of the first years had looks of confusion on their faces.

A rip in the hat open, and it began to sing:

A thousand years or more ago,  
When I was newly sewn,  
There lived four wizards of renown,  
Whose names are still well known:  
Bold Gryffindor, from wild moor,  
Fair Ravenclaw, from glen,  
Sweet Hufflepuff, from valley broad,  
Shrewd Slytherin, from fin.  
They shared a wish, a hope, a dream,  
They hatched a daring plan  
To educate young sorcerers  
Thus Hogwarts School began.  
Now each of these four founders  
Formed their own house, for each  
Did value different virtues  
In the ones they had to teach.  
By Gryffindor, the bravest were  
Prized far beyond the rest;  
For Ravenclaw, the cleverest  
Would always be the best;  
For Hufflepuff, hard workers were  
Most worthy of admission;  
And power-hungry Slytherin  
Loved those of great ambition.  
While still alive they did divide  
Their favourites from the throng,  
Yet how to pick the worthy ones  
When they were dead and gone?  
'Twas Gryffindor who found the way,  
He whipped me off his head  
The founders put some brains in me  
So I could choose instead!  
Now slip me snug about your ears,  
I've never yet been wrong,  
I'll have a look inside your mind  
And tell you where you belong!

Mia clapped along with everyone else in the hall, then combed through her damp hair again.

About half way through the sorting, Mia started to grumble about being hungry and George chuckled lightly. Finally, the last student had been sorted, into Hufflepuff.

"About time!" Mia said.

Up the top of the hall, Dumbledore stood up and said, "I have only two words to say to you. Tuck it!"

"Here, here!" Harry and Ron called from down the table. Food filled the golden plates, and Mia loaded hers along with Fred, George, Alicia, Angelina and Katie.

Mia grinned, before sticking a bit of gammon in her mouth.

"Better?" George asked, laughing.

"Much!" she replied, sticking a potato in her mouth.

After they had eaten, or, more like inhaled, their food, Dumbledore stood up again.

"So!" he said, smiling around at them all. "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices. Mr Filch, the caretaker," he gestured to the old man, "has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it."

"Damn it!" muttered Mia.

"What?" George whispered.

"I have about five Screaming Yo-yos and three Fanged Frisbees in my trunk!" she replied.

"What about the Ever-Bashing Boomerangs?" Fred asked. Mia sighed and shook her head.

"Wouldn't fit," she mumbled.

The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched, as if he could hear their conversation. He continued, "As ever, I would like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year. It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year-"

"What?" Mia heard Harry yell. Fred and George started mouthing without words at Dumbledore.

"You look like fish!" she giggled.

Dumbledore went on, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy, but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"

But then the doors to the halls opened with a loud _CRASH_! In the doorway, stood a man, leaning on a staff. Everyone looked at his as he took off his cloak and lightening flared on the ceiling, and Mia stared, horror-struck, at the man.

His face was carved with scars, crossing over each other and pulling his features in different directions and part of his nose was missing. One of his eyes was small and dark. And the other was large, round and luminous blue. It didn't blink, and it never stopped moving. It moved up and down, left and right, and then went _all the way round to the back of his head_.

Mia looked over to George, with a horrified look on her face, and she was shocked to see an awed-expression on his face, which was mirrored on Fred's.

The man walked up to the staff table, with a _thump_ every other step. Finally, he reached Dumbledore, shook his hand, and then sat down in a chair, and began to eat.

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore into the stunned silence, with a cheery voice, "Professor Moody."

Mia's eyes widened even further. "I am _not_ being taught by him," she whispered, "he looks like something you'd get in a nightmare!

"actually," George told her, "he's the person that locks up all the people you'd get in a nightmare."

Mia licked her lips and glanced at Moody, then asked, "Who is he?"

"Mad-Eye Moody, an Auror," Fred told her, at seeing her confused face, he continued. "catches dark wizards, puts them in Azkaban."

"Oh, so kinda like a policeman?" Mia asked, forgetting that the twins didn't know what a policeman was.

"Uh, yeah, whatever…" he said.

"As I was saying," Dumbledore said, smiling. No one looked back to him. "we are to have the honour of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

"You're JOKING!" Fred yelled into Mia's ear.

"OW!" she said just as loudly, knowing that everyone would've heard her. Everyone laughed, at them, or with them, she wasn't sure. She didn't even know what the 'Triwizard Tournament' was.

"I am not joking, Mr Weasley," Dumbledore said, and Fred grinned as Mia rolled her eyes. "Though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar-"

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat.

"Er, but maybe this is not the time... no..." said Dumbledore, "where was I? Ah yes, the Triwizard Tournament... well, some of you will not know what this tournament involves, so I hope those who do know will forgive me for giving a short explanation, and allow their attention to wander freely. The Triwizard Tournament was first established some seven hundred years ago as a friendly competition between the three largest European schools of wizardry: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. A champion was selected to represent each school, and the three champions competed in three magical tasks. The schools took it in turns to host the tournament once every five years, and it was generally agreed to be a most excellent way of establishing ties between young witches and wizards of different nationalities… until, that is, the death toll mounted so high that the tournament was discontinued."

"That's actually kinda cool…" Mia muttered.

"There have been several attempts over the centuries to reinstate the tournament," Dumbledore went on, "none of which has been very successful. However, our own departments of International Magical Cooperation and Magical Games and Sports have decided the time is ripe for another attempt. We have worked hard over the summer to ensure that this time, no champion will find himself or herself in mortal danger. The heads of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving with their short-listed contenders in October, and the selection of the three champions will take place at Halloween. An impartial judge will decide which students are most worthy to compete for the Triwizard Cup, the glory of their school, and a thousand Galleons personal prize money." At the mention of a judge, Mia got an image of Simon Cowell wearing wizard robes in her head.

"I'm going for it!" Fred muttered, his face excited.

"Me too!" George smiled.

"Me three!" Mia said. But then their short-lived dreams were shattered.

"Eager though I know all of you will be to bring the Triwizard Cup to Hogwarts," Dumbledore said above the noise, "the heads of the participating schools, along with the Ministry of Magic, has agreed to impose an age restriction on contenders this year. Only students who are of age, that is to say, seventeen years or older, will be allowed to put forward their names for consideration."

"WHAT?" Fred, George and Mia yelled together, fury seeping over their faces. Dumbledore calmly ignore them and went on.

"This is a measure we feel is necessary, given that the tournament tasks will still be difficult and dangerous, whatever precautions we take, and it is highly unlikely that students below sixth and seventh year will be able to cope with them. I will personally be ensuring that no underage student hoodwinks our impartial judge into making them Hogwarts champion." He looked over to the three sixth-years. Oh, if looks could kill, Dumbledore would already be in a coffin. "I therefore beg you not to waste your time submitting yourself if you are under seventeen. The delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will be arriving in October and remaining with us for the greater part of this year. I know that you will all extend every courtesy to our foreign guests while they are with us, and will give your whole-hearted support to the Hogwarts champion when he or she is selected. And now, it is late, and I know how important it is to you all to be alert and rested as you enter your lessons tomorrow morning. Bedtime! Chop, chop!" Dumbledore sat down, and everyone started to get up and go towards the doors.

"But… but… but... UGH!" Mia threw her hands up in the air, narrowly missing George's face.

"They can't do that!" said George, ducking her hand. "We're seventeen in April, why can't we have a shot?"

"April? _APRIL_?" Mia said, turning to him, "I'm seventeen in _November_! _Long_ before you two!"

"They're not stopping me entering," said Fred, crossing his arms and glaring at the staff. "The champion's get to do all sorts of stuff you'd never be allowed to do normally. And a thousand Galleons prize money!"

"Yeah," said Ron. Mia hadn't noticed Ron, Harry and Hermione hadn't left yet. "Yeah, a thousand Galleons..."

"Come on," said Hermione, "we'll be the only ones left here if you don't move." They all stood up and exited the Great Hall.

"Who's this impartial judge who's going to decide who the champions are?" asked Harry.

"Dunno," said Fred, "but it's them we'll have to fool. I reckon a couple of drops of Aging Potion might do it, George..."

"Dumbledore knows you're not of age, though," said Ron.

"Yeah, but he's not the one who decides who the champion is, is he?" said Mia, quirking her eyebrows. "the judge'll choose the best from each school, won't matter how old they are… I think an aging potion'll do it!"

"People have died, though!" Hermione almost shrieked. They walked through a hidden door behind a tapestry and up some more stairs.

"Yeah," said Fred, "but that was years ago, wasn't it? Anyway, where's the fun without a bit of risk?" he looked down to his little brother, "Hey, Ron, what if we find out how to get 'round Dumbledore? Fancy entering?"

"What d'ya reckon?" Ron asked, looking at Harry. "Be cool to enter, wouldn't it? But I s'pose they might want someone older... Dunno if we've learned enough..."

Mia rolled her eyes. "I doubt it's about _how much_ you've learnt, Ron," she said, "it'll be about using what you _have_ learnt and… applying it to the situation," she smiled.

"_I_ definitely haven't learnt enough," someone said, they all looked round to see Neville Longbottom climbing up the stairs behind them. "I expect my gran'd want me to try, though. She's always going on about how I should be upholding the family honour. I'll just have to- oops..."

Neville's foot had sunk right through a step halfway up the staircase. A suit of armour laughed next to them and Mia took off its head, dropped it, and kicked it down the stairs. Harry and Ron helped Neville out of the step and they carried on towards Gryffindor Tower.

"Password?" asked the Fat Lady. Mia had once asked if 'the Fat Lady' was her real name… she hadn't gotten an answer.

"Balderdash," said George, "a prefect downstairs told me."

"When did we meet a prefect?" Mia, raising her eyebrows.

"You didn't, I did," he replied.

The woman's painting swung and they climbed through the hole. A fire was dancing in the fire place, warming the room.

"Slave labour," murmured Hermione before she climbed the stairs to the girls' dormitory.

"Huh?" Mia asked. Harry and Ron quickly explained about Hermione finding out about House-Elves in the kitchens.

"Oh, those little things are so sweet!" Mia exclaimed half way through their speech and George laughed.

"Right… Imma get to bed," Mia yawned, "I'll see you guys tomorrow," she hugged Fred and George quickly, ruffled Harry and Ron's hair, and headed up the stairs after Hermione.

**Ok, hope you liked it :) Please Review!**


	6. First Day of Sixth Year

**Hell-_o_! How you all doing?**

**Thanks to: XxX Fred Weasley's Wife XxX for reviewing! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Mia**

**Oh yeah, and one more thing. I didn't have my copy of Goblet of Fire while writing this chapter (I left it at my aunt's when I went to visit her), so anything from the book won't be word-for-word. It's still the same general idea, though :)**

Chapter 6: First Day of Sixth Year

The next morning, Mia woke up to the sound of Angelina and Alicia chatting. She squeezed her eyes tight shut for a second, burying her face deeper in her pillow.

"Mia," she heard Angelina call, "You gotta get up!"

"I already am," Mia grumbled, rolling over and staring up at the ceiling. She lay there for a second before sitting up and running her fingers through her hair, yawning.

After they were dressed, Mia headed downstairs with Alicia and Angelina, agreeing boredly with their complaints that Quidditch wasn't on that year, but enthusiasm about the Triwizard Tournament. The common room was pretty much empty, so they all headed to the great hall, the conversation turning.

"Anyways," Alicia said, changing the subject, "I was thinking…" she paused for a second, "well, there's this Ravenclaw kid I know… he's in the year above us, but he helped me out with Charms a few times last. And, well-"

"What's his name?" Mia cut her off, as she pulled her hair back into a plait.

"Michael Spooner," Alicia replied, "he's really tall… has dark hair and blue eyes…" she trailed off and tripped down a step.

"Speaking of boys," Angelina said, looking at Mia, "What are we gunna do with you?"

"Huh?"

The two Chasers glanced at each other, and rolled their eyes.

"_George_?" They chorused. This time, Mia rolled her eyes.

"Uh, yeah, sure," She replied, "I doubt that's gunna happen…"

"Why not?" Angelina asked.

"Because," she shrugged, "just, because…" she trailed off.

To be honest, she didn't really know _why_ it wouldn't happen, she just did.

They entered the Great Hall, and Angelina and Alicia went to sit by Katie, who was waiting for them.

"See you guys later," Mia said, trotting off a little further down the table to Fred and George.

"McGonagall gave us your timetable," George handed her the slip of parchment.

"Is it bad?" she asked, before looking at it.

Fred shrugged and peered over her shoulder. "You have double potions Thursday morning-"

"Ugh."

"Alone-"

"Actually, I've got Angelina."

"Transfiguration, Defence against the Dark Arts and Charms with us-"

"Better be."

"And then you have your Herbology lessons-"

"Not bad…"

"And then all our free periods-"

"_Yes!_" Mia skimmed her eyes across the parchment as Fred ticked off the lessons on his fingers.

She shoved her timetable in her bag and looked at her empty plate for a second, before stabbing a few sausages, a piece of bacon and a couple fried eggs from their platters in the middle of the table, and depositing them onto her plate.

"Ok, so last night I was thinking about the Triwizard Tournament," Fred said.

"Obviously," Mia replied, sticking a piece of bacon in her mouth.

"'Cause you know how to make and Aging Potion, right, Mia?" Fred asked. She raised her eyebrows.

"Well you do, too," she gestured t the twins.

"Yeah, well you do it better," George told her, and she smiled.

"Then, yes, I know how to make one," she said.

"So you _will_ make one for us, right?" George asked. She rolled her eyes.

"Well, I wanna enter, too," she said, "of course I will!"

"Sorted," Fred stated, grinning.

* * *

She had Potions first period, with Angelina.

"I don't understand these things," Mia muttered, as they stood behind their steaming cauldrons, full of the Love Potion they were making.

"Why?" Angelina replied, throwing some rose thorns into her cauldron.

"Well I mean," Mia said, chopping up some peppermint, "I don't get the point in them…" she shrugged, "surely they cause a lot more hassle then needed. I mean, look," she pointed at a sentence in her book, "they don't even create real love! It just mimics it!"

Angelina shrugged, peering into Mia's cauldron, seeing as Mia was about two steps ahead of her.

"And I mean," Mia carried on, "what's he gunna use them for?" she gestured to Snape, who was prowling around the classroom, with her scalpel, "what's he gunna use them for? He's not actually going to use them on _himself_ is he?"

Angelina shrugged again, "he just wants us to practice them," she replied, "I'm guessing they could turn up in our NEWTs…"

"Which are _two whole years_ away," Mia said, "I mean, even if he _does_ use them," she gestured vaguely again, but her hand pointed nowhere near Snape, "its not like anybody's going to be attracted to him. Love Potion or no Love Po-"

"Fifty Points from Gryffindor, Miss Homing, for insulting a teacher…"

Slowly, Mia looked up and turned around, seeing Snape standing behind her. Angelina ducked her head and concentrated on counting her Moonstones. Across the dungeon, the Slytherin's were sniggering. And a Hufflepuff had stopped working in order to listen to what was happening.

"Sorry, Sir," Mia replied, stiffly. Snape curled his lip and turned around. Mia made a face at his back and rolled her eyes, turning back to her potion.

"Oh, God!" she exclaimed, as she realised she'd left it boiling too long.

* * *

Finally, the bell rang, signalling the end of the lesson, and Mia collected up her things, handed in a few vials of her potion (which she had just managed to save, although it was a few shades darker then it aught to have been), and stalked up out of the Dungeons, with Angelina following her.

"What's wrong with you?" Looking behind her, she saw that she had walked straight past Fred and George, who had been waiting for her after their free period.

Huffing, Mia said, "I just lost us fifty points." Fred started.

"What?" he asked.

"She insulted Snape," Angelina replied, rolling her eyes, "we were making up love potions and he heard her talking about how even a love potion wouldn't make anyone attracted to him."

"'S true though," Mia muttered, moodily.

Their next class was Charms, which Angelina wasn't in, but Fred and George were. As they wandered into the room, Fred and George seemed unusually quiet.

"You guys alright?" Mia asked, as they slid into some seats.

"What? Oh, yeah, fine, why?" Fred replied.

"You're very quiet."

"We haven't got anything to say," George shrugged. Mia stared at him blankly, and she blinked a few times.

"You _always_ have something to say," She stated, "or do… or someone to annoy… or-"

"Yes, ok we get it," Fred cut her off. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised. Behind her, George shrugged. Mia looked back to George, and missed Fred's subtle headshake.

Before she could question them further, however, Professor Flitwick bustled into the room, and started the lesson.

He taught them the spell _Aguamenti_, which made water spurt from the end of the user's wand. Flitwick flicked his own wand, and a stack of plastic, brightly coloured bowls flew out of a cupboard, placing themselves in front of each student.

Peering at her vivid purple bowl, Mia asked, "Who wants to go first, then?"

The twins looked at each other, and then said, "You can."

She looked at the, before shrugging her shoulders and raising her wand, pointing at the bowl.

"Um, ok," she said, "_Ag-wa-man-tee_," she said, pronouncing the spell wrong. A small, slightly green-looking fire burst up in her bowl. Swearing, she flicked her wand aimlessly at the fire, but only succeeding in making the flames reach higher.

"What do we do?" she asked, panicked, still waving her wand.

"Um…" Fred started.

"Professor!" George yelled.

Flitwick looked up briefly from where he was speaking to a Ravenclaw. Spotting the burning bowl, he shot over to them, and, with a neat flick of his wand, doused the fire with a spray of water.

"What did you do?" he squeaked at them.

"I said the spell!" Mia replied.

"How did you say it?" Flitwick asked.

"_Ag-wa-man-tee_."

Mia thought she saw a smile twitch at the corner of the professor's mouth, and she creased her eyebrows.

"That is the wrong pronunciation, Miss Homing," he said, "it is _ah-gwe-men-tee_," and, flicking his wand, another spray of water settled itself in her bowl.

"Oh," Mia replied, "thanks professor."

* * *

In their last lesson, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Fred and George forced Mia to sit at the front. It was probably their first time at the front since first year.

The door burst open and Moody walked in, clunking on every other step. He stopped at the front, and looked at all of them, with his normal eye. The magical one spun and twitched, looking in all sorts of directions.

Mia could almost feel the excitement radiating off of Fred and George, sitting either side of her. Mia, herself, felt nervous, and slight freaked out when the magical landed on her for a second.

"You'll only be needing your wands today," Moody suddenly said, rather gruffly, making everyone jump, "Clear your desks and stand up."

Almost instantly, everyone threw their books and quills into their bags and stood up.

George slipped his book into his bag and heard a faint _squeak_. He looked up over the desk and then back into his bag. There sat a rubber chicken. He picked it up and looked it under the desk, forehead creased. Must be one of the fake wands…

"Perhaps you would like to pay attention to _me_, Mr Weasley, and not the rubber chicken!" Moody barked. George shot up and stuffed the chicken into his bag, pushing himself away from the desk and next to Mia.

"Oh my god, he can see through things," Mia whispered, licking her lips nervously.

Moody didn't seem to hear her, and if he did, he didn't take any notice.

With a wave of his wand, the desks and bags skidded to the edges of the room, leaving a clear, empty space.

"Non-verbal spells," He said. "What are they for?" a couple people muttered, but no one answered.

"Very well… Miss Homing," only his normal eye landed on her, and she froze, "what are they for?"

"Um… to… use spells… non-verbally?" she answered, rather pathetically.

Moody grunted. "In its simplest form. Yes. But _why_ would you want to use spells non-verbally?" he was still looking at her.

"Uh…" she fumbled to string together a few words for a second, "um… so no one knows what… what spell you're using?"

"Excellent!" Moody barked, and Mia jumped slightly. George sniggered, but stopped when Moody's blue eye flicked to him.

Suddenly, Moody pointed his wand at a small Hufflepuff girl, who shrieked as she went flying back. She stopped just before she hit the wall, and dropped to the ground with a light _thud_, stumbling slightly, but still standing.

Everyone stared at Moody with the exact same look on all of their faces. A mixture of shock, amazement, fear, and being impressed.

"Non-verbal spells," he flicked his wand at the cabinet, "can be," it flew across the room, "very useful," Mia jumped back into George "when fighting," he flicked his wand again, "dark wizards," the cabinet skidded to a stop centimetres from where Mia had been. George's hands were on her shoulders and everyone in the room was staring at the heavy cabinet and the nearly-flattened girl. Fred whistled.

"Why are they useful, Mr Weasley?" Moody looked at Fred.

"Um…"

Moody flicked his wand again, and half a second later, Fred's wand went flying across the room. everyone watched it skid to a stop by the door.

"Now," he said, "id that had been a verbal spell," he looked at Fred, "what could you have done?"

"Stopped it?" Fred answered, raising one shoulder.

"Very good!" Moody barked, "now… imagine that that wasn't a simple Disarming Spell. Imagine it was-"

He pointed his wand at the cabinet.

It exploded.

Mia and Fred threw their arms up in front of their faces, shielding themselves. George closed his eyes and gripped onto Mia's shoulders harder, pulling her back.

"Now," Moody said, once the last spark had dimmed, "if that had been you, and if I had spoken, you could've cast a Shield Charm."

He waved his wand and a pale yellowish circle expanded in front of him.

"If you can create one, that is. But that's another lesson." The Shield disappeared.

"Accio wand," Mia muttered, and Fred's wand flew into her hand, which she then chucked over to him.

George seemed to notice he was still grasping onto her shoulders, because he let go very suddenly, flushing a dark red. Licking her lips, Mia moved forward a step, and crossed her arms.

"Now, any other uses?" Moody asked.

On the other side of the room, and tall, dark-skinned Hufflepuff boy raised his hand.

"Yes, Mr Gennish?" Moody pointed at him with his wand. Gennish flinched, but nothing happened.

"Well, you could cast a spell unnoticed. Say you were somewhere you weren't meant to be and there were people around and you didn't want to be spotted. You could cast a Disillusionment Charm and then sneak through them. they wouldn't even know." Gennish spoke rather fast, and sucked in a deep breath once he'd finished.

"Good!" Moody said. He then tapped his head, and he seemed to disappear. Everybody suddenly looked very nervous.

"if you can move around whilst invisible," Moody's voice came from about a foot away from Mia, who jolted and moved away back into George, "and cast spells non-verbally, you will be in a _very_ good position." He reappeared again, standing in front of Gennish, who backed away slightly.

"Right! Pair up and try disarming each other. _Non-verbally_!"

* * *

They left the classroom a little while later, with Fred massaging his forehead gingerly, from where Mia had thrown her wand at him in frustration. The closest she'd gotten to performing a non-verbal Disarming Charm was making Fred's wand wiggle slightly.

"It was still quite a cool lesson," She said, after complaining about not being able to do it for about five minutes.

"_Quite_ a cool lesson?" George asked.

"It was bloody amazing!" Fred exclaimed. Mia rolled her eyes.

They neared the Great Hall, but were stopped in the Entrance Hall by a large crowd of people.

"What's happening?" Mia asked, standing on tip-toes trying to see over all the heads, but couldn't. Falling back onto her feet, she started to push her way through the crowd. She stopped at the front, shocked.

Moody was standing in the middle of the circle, with Harry and Ron behind him. And Moody was bouncing a little white, rather distressed looking ferret up and down on the floor.

She stared at it in horror. Judging from her last lesson, she'd figured out that Moody was a little bit mental. But _this_…

"Professor Moody!" Every turned around and saw McGonagall approaching the crowd, holding a stack of books in her arms and looking shocked.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Moody said to her, still throwing the ferret up and down into the air.

"What," McGonagall said, staring at the ferret, "what are you doing?"

"Teaching."

"Teach…" something dawned on her face, "Moody, is that a student?" she screeched, dropping the stack of books onto the floor.

"Yep," said Moody, casually.

"No!" McGonagall cried, running down the stairs. She pulled out her wand, and snap, Draco Malfoy was lying on the floor, in a shuddering heap.

Mia's eyebrows shot up. and to think that she'd felt sorry for the 'ferret'.

"Moody," McGonagall hissed, "we _never_ use Transfiguration as a punishment! Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?"

"He might've mentioned it, yeah," Moody scratched the back of his neck, "but I thought a good sharp shock-"

"We give detentions, Moody!" McGonagall yelled, "Or speak to the offender's Head of House!"

"I'll do that, then," said Moody, glaring at Malfoy, who was muttering something.

"Oh yeah?" said Moody quietly, limping forwards towards him, obviously hearing what Malfoy had been saying, "Well, I know your father of old, boy…"

Ah, so it was the classic 'wait until my father hears about this' that Malfoy liked to threaten people with.

"You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son," Moody carried on, "you tell him that from me… Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"

"Yes," said Malfoy.

"Another old friend," growled Moody. "I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape… Come on, you…"

Moody grabbed Malfoy by the arm and hauled him away, and slowly, the crowd dispersed.

Still with her eyebrows raised, Mia glanced at the twins, and they set off into the Great Hall.

They all slid into seats opposite Harry and Ron, both of whom were grinning in amusement.

"How cool is he?" Fred said.

"Who?" Ron asked mouth full of food.

"_Moody_, you idiot!" Fred said to his younger brother. Harry and Ron looked at each other.

"He's _amazing_, guys!" Mia told them, piling chicken onto her plate.

"Yeah, we just had Defence Against the Dark Arts with him!" red explained, taking a piece of chicken off of Mia's plate.

"Oi!" she said, but just rolled her eyes as he grinned, "Anyways, its like," she thought for a second, "like he's literally seen _everything_!"

"Like exploding cabinets!" said George and Mia laughed.

"It was… just…" Fred looked off into space.

"See! It's rendered Fred speechless," she pointed to him with a grin, "it must've been good!"

Ron pulled out his timetable and groaned. "We don't have him till Thursday!"

Mia laughed and looked over to George, smiling at him.

**Hope you liked it! Please Review**


	7. The Screaming YoYo

**Hey!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Chapter 7: The Screaming Yo-yo

It was about two weeks since the start of term, and already, Mia, Fred and George had stopped counting their detentions (although Fred and George definitely had a lot more then Mia). They were already behind on homework (although Mia was a bit more behind then the twins, seeing as she had a lot more homework to do). And they'd already gotten on Filch's last nerve.

There was one thing, however, that had Mia feeling slightly unnerved. Whenever she arrived at breakfast in the morning, or whenever she caught up with the twins after they had a free period and she didn't, Fred and George always seemed unusually quiet. Once or twice, she was sure she saw Fred shoving a piece of parchment into his bag. She had kept asking about it, but they always brushed it off, returning to their normal selves within minutes.

This morning happened to be one of those mornings. She had arrived in the Great Hall near the end of breakfast with Angelina and Alicia. As she approached Fred and George, she noticed that they were hunched over a piece of parchment.

"I'm telling you Fred," George was saying, "its not-"

"Hey, guys, what's up?" she asked, sliding onto the bench next to George. The twins jumped, and Fred crammed the parchment into his pocket.

"Ok," Mia said, irritated, "what is it?"

"What's what?" George asked, uneasily.

"That bloody bit of parchment!" she pointed wildly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Mia," Fred told her, smoothly.

She gaped at him. "I'm not _stupid_, Fred!" she told him.

"Well…" Fred smirked.

"Shut up," she told him, darkly. The smirk left his face. "What the bloody hell are you two always whispering about together?" she asked, shrilly, "and why won't you tell me?"

They were saved from answering, however, when Harry, Ron and Hermione sat opposite them.

Rolling her eyes, Mia huffed and pulled a plate towards her, throwing some toast onto it.

"Really, Hermione, it's no_ wonder_ you hardly have any members!" Ron said, rather harshly.

"Oh yeah? Neville joined!" Hermione retorted.

"Only so you'd stop bugging him!"

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"OI!" Mia yelled at them. Ron and Hermione looked up at them, and Mia saw that Hermione was clutching a box. "What _are_ you two arguing about?"

Hermione glanced at Ron, and then pushed the box towards Mia and the twins.

"Don't, Hermione," Ron warned. She ignored him.

"Would you three-"

"Hermione!"

"Like to join S.P.E.W.?"

Mia paused, confused. "_Spew_? What the hell is _Spew_?"

Ron sniggered, and Hermione huffed. "Not _Spew!" _she said, "_S.P.E.W_. It stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. Its only two Sickles to join!" She looked at them hopefully.

Mia, Fred and George peered into the box, which was full of lots of colourful little badges, with S.P.E.W written on them.

"Um… what does it do?" Mia asked, picking up a badge and looking at it, before dropping it back into the box.

"I'm trying to get across the point that House-Elves are seriously mistreated! They are not paid! They do not have holidays! They do not get sick-leave!-"

"Sick-leave?" Mia, Fred and George exclaimed together.

"Why on earth would they want _sick-leave_?" Mia asked, incredulously. Hermione's jaw dropped a little.

"They're slaves, Mia!" she said, "_Slaves_! They should be _fighting_ for their freedom! But their brainwashed, so they don't! _Brainwashed_! They're not educated! They're no-"

"Hermione!" Ron yelled, in irritation. Hermione stopped speaking, and looked at Mia expectantly.

"Er…" Mia said, glancing at Ron, who shook his head, "sorry, Hermione," she pushed the box back towards her owner, "but I think the House-Elves are fine with how they are…"

"But," Hermione, "They. Are. _Slaves_!"

"They. Are. _Happy_!" Fred said, mocking her tone.

"But-"

"Hermione, look," Mia said calmly, "No one wants a freed House-Elf! And a House-Elf doesn't really _want_ to be free!"

"Hmph!" That was the only other sound Hermione made.

* * *

Harry, Hermione and on left around ten minutes later. And finally, Fred finished eating.

"Take your time," Mia muttered, as he finally pushed his bowl away.

Grinning, Fred stood up, followed by George and Mia, who stretched her limbs out.

"Right," she said, "what are we going to do today, then?"

"We could… annoy some Slytherins?" Fred suggested.

"Ugh, we did that yesterday," Mia moaned.

"Make some Ravenclaws feel stupid?"

"_How_?"

"Kill Mrs Norris?"

"Been there, done that, dint turn out so well"

"Kill Filch!"

"I am _not_ going to Azkaban!" she slid her bag off her shoulder and went to switch it to the other one.

"Jeez, I was just joking… what 'bout-"

"Round the corner!" Mia pushed the twins through a tapestry onto a 'secret' staircase.

"What?" George hissed, peeking around the tapestry. "Ohhhhh…"

"Mmhmm."

"What's going on?" Fred whispered; he was behind the two so he couldn't see anything.

"Filch is there!" Mia muttered, pulling George away from the tapestry.

"So?"

"What happened _last_ time he caught us wandering down some random corridor? He searched our bags and found whatever we were carrying around that day and we got deten-" someone covered her mouth.

"Shh!" George whispered into her ear

"_Did you hear that, My Sweet?_" Filch said from the other side of the tapestry.

"Get ready to run," Mia whispered into George's ear.

She knew it was impossible, the tapestry was too thick, but she swore she saw Filch's shadow loom above them. She clutched her bag tighter (no doubt she would get at least five detentions if Filch searched it), she hadn't managed to switch shoulders.

The three of them quietly backed up the staircase. Mia stepped on the strap of her bag and it fell from her hands, several objects falling onto the ground at her feet. One of those objects happened to be a Screaming Yo-yo. As she scrambled to pick everything up as quietly as possible, she grabbed only the string. The small circle started to shriek.

As Filch yanked back the tapestry, Mia yelled "RUN!" and the three rushed up the stairs, Filch at their tale. As they got to the top of the stairs, Mia threw the object she had in her hand over her shoulder: A Fanged Frisbee.

She heard a yelp as the Frisbee bit Filch, but she didn't look back. Mia and George rounded a corner, but Fred carried on running straight ahead.

"OI!" they heard him yell, but he carried on yelling.

"Sorry!" Mia yelled back, and they heard Filch round the corner after them.

"_Great,_" she muttered. "Oh! Down here!" she grabbed George's hand and pulled him around a sharp corner, laughing when he stumbled.

"Oh, well done, Mia," George told her, as they both realised she'd dragged them down to a dead end.

"What… do we do?" Mia asked, panting. They looked around, listening to Filch gaining on them.

Suddenly, she felt George push her.

"Hey!"

"Shh!"

He closed a door an Mia backed up, stopping against a wall.

"Um… George," she said, still trying to catch her breath, "I think… we're in… a broom cupboard.

"Broom cupboard for a minute or detention for an hour?" George asked.

Mia rolled her eyes, but chuckled a bit.

"_Where are they?_" they heard Filch yell. After what seemed like forever, they heard Filch retreat.

"Whoa… that… was close!" Mia breathed, still panting heavily from running.

"Yeah." George replied.

George looked down at her, suddenly realising how close they were. She seemed to realise at the same time, because she looked very awkward.

"Er…" she said, licking her lips nervously.

Before George could say anything, they heard Fred calling them.

"_Guys_?" he yelled, "_oi_!"

George pushed open the door and jumped out of the broom cupboard quickly, emerging into the corridor.

Mia squeezed her eyes shut for a second, licking her lips again, before following him.

"What… were you guys doing in there?" Fred asked, with a confused expression on his face.

"Nothing!" Mia and George answered together, a bit too quickly. "Hiding from Filch," Mia added, for good measure.

"Um… well, he's gone…" Fred trailed off.

"Uh, ok…" Mia walked past George and wandered down the corridor.

Fred glanced at his brother, and noticed the slightly red tinge to his face. Before he could say anything, however, Mia turned around and called down the corridor to them, "well, come one! We've still got a whole day to kill!"

**Well, can you figure out why Fred and George are acting a little bit strangely?**

**Please Review!**


	8. The Foreigners

**Hey, guys!**

**Thanks to: '-Magical Moonshine-' (who figured out what Fred and George are up to), ImaginationGurl, Kukaburry and greenluvr14. You guys are immense :)**

Chapter 8: Foreigners

Mia, Fred and George hurried to the entrance hall along with half of Gryffindor. Everyone was laughing and shrieking, pushing and shoving, excited about the foreign students finally arriving. When everyone was lined up outside (in the cold) professor McGonagall walked up and down the line, snapping at students to improve their appearance.

"Weasley, straighten your hat," she told Ron, making Mia and the twins snigger. McGonagall carried on down the line.

"Weasley!" She snapped at Fred, "Give me the Wet-Start Fireworks!"

Fred groaned, before taking out the firework that was poking out of his pocket. He handed it to McGonagall, before digging around and taking out three more. McGonagall shot him a disapproved look, before carrying on down the line.

Everyone stood in silence, waiting. Some students were look around, and a few of the shorter students were bouncing up and down.

"Aha!" Dumbledore called, finally, "Unless I am much mistaken, the delegation from Beauxbatons approaches!"

"Where?" several students yelled.

"There!" a girl in Slytherin pointed to the sky. Mia squinted, a large shape was hurtling towards the grounds.

"IT'S A DRAGON!" a short first year from Hufflepuff shouted.

"Don't be stupid! It's a flying horse!" someone from the front of their line yelled. He seemed pretty much right.

A massive blue carriage landed metres away from the first line of students, along with massive horses.

The door opened, and out came the tallest woman Mia had ever seen. She thought she might even have been taller then Hagrid. Her sleek hair was tied up in a bun, and she had an air of power and respect surrounding her.

Dumbledore started to clap, and everyone followed suit. The woman and Dumbledore had a quick conversation, and Mia managed to catch that the woman was called "Madame Maxime" and that she couldn't pronounce Dumbledore's name right, calling him "Dumbly-dort".

Madame Maxime's students got out of the carriage, shivering in the cold. Another quick conversation involving words like "Karkaroff" something about Hagrid and "single-malt whiskey". The Beauxbatons students trotted inside.

Now, a lot of the Hogwarts students were looking up into the sky.

Mia sighed and leaned her head against George's chest, her eyes trained on the black point between the stars and the moon. George absentmindedly rapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer towards him. Fred looked behind him and shook his head and rolling his eyes.

After a while, there was an odd gurgling sound. Mia looked up, wondering if it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but she noticed other students looking around as well.

She lent forward slightly, squinting at something that seemed to rippling a little way away.

"It's the lake!" she yelled. Almost instantly, everyone looked towards the Black Lake, and, sure enough, something began to emerge from the water.

"It's a mast!" Harry yelled, from further up the line.

Finally, a large, old-fashioned ship docked on the edge of the lake. People started to get off, and they walked towards the Hogwarts students. They were all wearing large, bulky cloaks covered in fur.

"Dumbledore!" hollered a man with smooth, silver hair who Mia guessed was Karkaroff. He was tall and thin, with a goatee and yellow teeth. When he finally reached Dumbledore, he said, "dear old Hogwarts. How good it is to be here, how good... Viktor, come along, into the warmth... you don't mind, Dumbledore? Viktor has a slight head cold..."

One of the boys at the front of the Durmstrang students hurried inside, passing Mia and the twins. He looked slightly familiar to Mia, but she couldn't remember where she'd seen him. Fred and George, however, were staring at the back of him with mouths slightly agape.

"Merlin…" Fred breathed.

"It's Viktor Krum!" George said.

"The seeker from Bulgaria?" Mia asked.

"Uh-huh," Fred and George replied.

Finally, the Hogwarts students were allowed back into the warm castle, after the Durmstrang students. The Durmstrang students had sat at the Slytherin table, and Beauxbatons at Ravenclaw. Both tables were looking rather smug about this.

The teachers entered the Hall, and the Beauxbatons students leapt up, standing for their Headmistress. Fred and George laughed, along with several other students, but the Beauxbatons' paid them no mind.

"Good evening," Dumbledore said, standing, "ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and, most particularly, guests, I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable." Mia heard a girl from Beauxbatons laugh.

"The tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast," said Dumbledore. "I now invite you all to eat, drink, and make yourselves at home!"

He sat down and plates filled with food, the typical, English food they got at Hogwarts, but also food which Mia had never even thought of. Like a weird stew that seemed to be made from fish.

"What do you think of them, then?" Mia asked.

Angelina, who was opposite Mia and the twins, shrugged, cutting up a slab of pork, "they seem alright," she answered.

Across the Hall, a Beauxbatons girl stood up from the Ravenclaw, and walked over towards Gryffindor table. She was tall and thin, with silvery blonde hair and glowing skin. Definitely beautiful.

As one, Mia, Angelina, Alicia and Katie raised their eyebrows as several of the boys, including Fred and George, stopped eating to look at her.

Mia glanced at the three Chasers, and then whacked Fred around the head.

"OW!" he cried, "What?"

"Didn't your mother tell you it was rude to stare, Fred?" she asked, sticking carrot in her mouth.

Mia watched with sympathy as the girl talked to Ron, who was having trouble stringing together half a word and she left with a pot of the weird fish stew thing.

Once they'd had dessert, Dumbledore stood up once more. Mia, Fred and George leaned forward.

"The moment has come," Dumbledore said, smiling, "The Triwizard Tournament is about to start. I would like to say a few words of explanation before we bring in the casket, just to clarify the procedure that we will be following this year. But first, let me introduce, for those who do not know them, Mr Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation."

Mia clapped quietly along with the rest, she hadn't noticed him arrive. Or Ludo bagman.

"And Mr Ludo Bagman, Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports."

Everyone clapped much louder. Fred and George clapped on either side of her, but not as enthusiastically as she would've thought, considering the Quidditch legend he was. She just shrugged it off, making a mental note to ask them about it later.

"Mr Bagman and Mr Crouch have worked tirelessly over the last few months on the arrangements for the Triwizard Tournament," Dumbledore went on, "and they will be joining myself, Professor Karkaroff, and Madame Maxime on the panel that will judge the champions' efforts. The casket, then, if you please, Mr Filch."

The caretaker brought a large wood crate with jewels and gems stuck over it. One small first year in Gryffindor stood up on his bench to see better. It didn't make much of a difference.

"The instructions for the tasks the champions will face this year have already been examined by Mr Crouch and Mr Bagman," said Dumbledore, "and they have made the necessary arrangements for each challenge. There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways. Their magical prowess, their daring, their powers of deduction, and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

Mia held her breath. She would be seventeen in a couple of weeks, surely she could sneak past whatever stopped underage wizards and witches entering.

"As you know, three champions compete in the tournament," Dumbledore continued, "one from each of the participating schools. They will be marked on how well they perform each of the Tournament tasks and the champion with the highest total after task three will win the Triwizard Cup. The champions will be chosen by an impartial selector: the Goblet of Fire."

Dumbledore tapped the chest with his wand. The lid opened slowly and Dumbledore took out… a wooden cup. For a second, Mia felt utterly disappointed. Then she saw the fire. The white flames, licking the air.

"Anybody wishing to submit themselves as champion must write their name and school clearly upon a slip of parchment and drop it into the goblet," said Dumbledore. "Aspiring champions have twenty-four hours in which to put their names forward. Tomorrow night, Halloween, the goblet will return the names of the three it has judged most worthy to represent their schools. The goblet will be placed in the entrance hall tonight, where it will be freely accessible to all those wishing to compete." He looked around the Hall and paused for a second.

"To ensure that no underage student yields to temptation," Mia swore his eyes flicked to her and twins for a second, "I will be drawing an Age Line around the Goblet of Fire once it has been placed in the entrance hall. Nobody under the age of seventeen will be able to cross this line."

"What's an Age Line?" Mia muttered. Fred and George just rolled their eyes, and a seventh year across the table from them shushed her. "Don't shush me!" she whispered to him, furiously. George's hand fell onto her knee, telling her to shut up. She rolled her eyes and caught up to what Dumbledore was saying.

"-There can be no change of heart once you have become a champion. Please be very sure, therefore, that you are wholeheartedly prepared to play before you drop your name into the goblet. Now, I think it is time for bed. Good night to you all." Dumbledore sat down and got into a conversation with Crouch.

"An Age Line!" Fred said, smirking as they stood up. "Well, that should be fooled by an Aging Potion, shouldn't it? And once your name's in that goblet, you're laughing, it can't tell whether you're seventeen or not!"

"What's an age line?" Mia asked, whining a little.

"An Age Line is, as the title suggests, a line which stops anyone under a certain age passing it, usually to get to something else. In this case, the Goblet of Fire," Hermione explained in her best teacher voice, "But I don't think anyone under seventeen will stand a chance," she continued "we just haven't learned enough..."

"Speak for yourself," George replied.

"You'll try and get in, right Harry? Ron?" Mia asked, turning to them. They didn't answer and Mia shrugged, walking out of the Great Hall with the twins.

"Right, so, tomorrow, we come down here, drink the Ageing Potion, and put our names into the cup," Mia said, as they wandered up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Yep, sounds like a plan, George?" Fred said, looking at his brother.

"Mhm, perfect," George replied, slinging his arm around Mia.

* * *

On Halloween morning, Mia woke up when she was thrown off her bed by Alicia.

"AH!" she screeched as she sat up, her covers falling over her head.

"Fred and George want you downstairs," she said, "something about a potion?"

Mia groaned and rubbed her eyes. She got dressed quickly and hurried down to the common room, plaiting her hair as she went.

"_Good_ morning!" Fred said cheerily, when she came into view.

"What?" she asked, slightly irritably.

Fred rolled his eyes and held up three small vials, filled with clear liquid. It took a second for Mia to catch onto what they were, but when she did, she said, "_oh_, right!" and snatched on of the vials off of him.

George took the other vial off of his brother, and they glanced at each other.

"Cheers," Mia muttered. She and the twins clanged their vials together, before tipping them up over their mouths.

A drop of the sour tasting potion fell onto Mia's tongue, and she dropped her hand.

They looked at each other.

"Did it work?" Mia asked.

"Guess we're just gunna have to trust it…" Fred replied, shrugging.

"Right, let's go then…" they left the common room and rushed down the stairs. When Mia tripped and nearly fell flat on her face, they started to laugh.

Harry turned around and Mia and the twins smiled gleefully. "Done it! Just taken it!" Fred told them, grinning.

"What?" Ron asked, Mia rolled her eyes and looked over to the wooden, flaming cup.

"The Ageing Potion, dung brains!" Fred replied.

"One drop each," George said, looking at the cup as well.

"We only needed to be a few months older. Well, they do," Mia pointed to Fred and George, "I only need to be few weeks. And we'll split the thousand between us when one of us wins," she finished.

Hermione noted the _when_, not the _if _one of us wins. It was _when_ one of us wins. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not sure this'll work." She said, "I'm pretty sure Dumbledore would've thought of it!" The twins ignored her and Mia rolled her eyes.

"Ready?" Fred asked, Mia and George nodded enthusiastically. "Right, I'll go first, then…"

Fred walked up to the silver line surrounding the cup. Everyone in the Entrance Hall was looking at him. Mia's eyebrows quirked as he stepped over the line.

"WOO!" George leapt over the line and Mia was about to follow… when there was a faint _sssssssss_ noise.

She ducked as Fred and George flew out of the circle, landing with a dull, but loud _thud_ on the hard floor.

"Ouch, that's gotta hurt!" she muttered.

When they looked up, she burst out laughing with the rest of the Hall. Fred and George now had long, white beards. They started to laugh too, standing up.

"I did warn you," Mia whipped around, a small smile still playing on her lips.

Dumbledore was standing there, looking at the newly bearded twins with an amused expression. "I think you should go and see Madam Pomfrey, she is already tending to Miss Fawcett of Ravenclaw, and Mr Summers, of Hufflepuff, both of whom decided to age themselves up a little too. Though I must say, neither of their beards is anything like as fine as yours." Dumbledore turned to leave and Fred and George glanced at each other, then went along one of the hallways towards the Hospital Wing.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Hermione said, smiling a little. It was really a smirk, but the amusement of what had just happened overshadowed any smugness.

"Good thing I didn't cross the line, then, weren't it!" Hermione rolled her eyes and trotted into the Great Hall. "HEY! WAIT UP!" Mia yelled, running after Fred and George.

* * *

Mia, Fred and George sat at the Gryffindor table later that day, with Fred and George now beardless, waiting to find out weather they got a half-decent champion. Seeing as it most definitely _wouldn't_ be any of them…

The rest of the day had been rather boring. It had taken just five minutes for the beards to fall out, and Mia had learned a very interesting remedy that she might use in her future career as a Healer. Plus, maybe she could give it to Fred and George to use it in future products for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She'd spent about an hour with Angelina (who'd forced her to do her Potions homework) and when she'd got back, Fred and George were unusually quite again. But that ended quickly as Peeves decided to attack them with some kind of weird, purple goo. Mia was sure Fred had put some of it in his pocket.

Angelina, Alicia and Katie sat down opposite them, Angelina with a very hopeful expression on her face. "Hope you get it, Angie!" Mia told her. Angelina had told her she'd entered when they were doing Potions.

"Thanks," Angelina replied, biting her lip.

The feast didn't seem like such a big deal. Not after last night. Mia picked at bits of pork and lamb, then only had a few spoonfuls of black forest gateau. But she still laughed when Fred and George retold the morning's events to the three Chasers.

Finally, the plates cleared and Dumbledore stood up. "Good luck!" Mia whispered to Angelina, who just smiled and looked up to the Goblet of Fire.

"Well, the goblet is almost ready to make its decision," Dumbledore said. "I estimate that it requires one more minute. Now, when the champions' names are called, I would ask them please to come up to the top of the Hall, walk along the staff table, and go through into the next chamber where they will be receiving their first instructions."

He waved his wand and all the lights in the Hall went out, except for the ones in the pumpkins, casting an eerie glow around the room.

Suddenly, the fire turned bright red, and Mia leaned forward. A piece of parchment shot out of the Goblet, and Dumbledore caught it.

"The champion for Durmstrang… will be Viktor Krum."

The Bulgarian Seeker stood up and walked sullenly into the small side chamber.

"He could at least look a little happy!" Mia said, clapping politely.

"Bravo, Viktor!" Karkaroff bellowed, "Knew you had it in you!"

Soon, everyone fell silent, as another piece of parchment flew form the flames.

"The champion for Beauxbatons," said Dumbledore, "is Fleur Delacour!"

The girl who had taken the weird fish stew thing from Harry and Ron the previous night stood up and flipped her hair over her shoulder. She slid down the gap between the two tables, nodding at Madame Maxime before she entered the side chamber.

When the hall was silent once more, the final piece of parchment fluttered into Dumbledore's hand.

"The Hogwarts champion," he called, "is Cedric Diggory!"

Angelina looked down at her empty plate, a down-hearted expression on her face. "Sorry, Angelina," George called over to her. He had to call, the amount of noise coming from the Hufflepuff table as Cedric Diggory walked along it.

"Well, we now have our three champions," Dumbledore said, smiling, "I am sure I can count upon all of you, including the remaining students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, to give your champions every ounce of support you can muster. By cheering your champion on, you will contribute in a very real—"

The headmaster stopped speaking, looking at the once-again red flames of the Goblet.

"Is that meant to happen?" Mia asked. George shrugged.

Dumbledore looked at the parchment that had come out of the flames…

"Harry Potter."

Mia looked down the table at the fourth year boy, who was sitting thunder-struck. People around the Hall started to talk. "But… but he's only fourteen!" Mia said, "He can't do this!" her voice rose ever-so-slightly. George didn't say anything, even Fred was speechless.

"I didn't put my name in," she heard him say to his Ron and Hermione, "You know I didn't."

"How the heck did he do it?" Fred asked.

"I dunno… what else is there other then an Ageing Potion?" Mia replied.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called again. "Harry! Up here, if you please!"

"Go on," Mia watched as Hermione pushed Harry off the bench. She watched as he walked up to the long table, slowly. He stopped at the top and Mia leaned around George so she could see.

"Well... through the door, Harry," Dumbledore said. Harry passed slowly through the door.

The talking in the hall slowly got louder and louder, until everyone was shouting.

"I _think_," Dumbledore shouted, "that we should all be getting to bed… _Now_!"

Everyone immediately stood and flooded out of the doors.

**Well, I think that turned out ok. Hopefully you did as well**

**Please Review!**


	9. Harry's Party

**Well, here we go, chapter 9 :)**

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to JK Rowling. Mia Homing belongs to me**

Chapter 9: Harry's Party

Mia, Fred and George scurried down the hallway towards the kitchens. Mia tickled the pear as they went through numerous ways that Harry could've put his name in the Goblet. They thought of none that seemed even remotely realistic.

When the kitchen door swung open, half the house-elves stopped what they were doing and bowed or curtsied. Mia smiled at them, she wondered why Hermione wanted to intervene with their lives- they were happy!

"What is the Miss and Misters wanting?" one house-elf asked in its squeaky voice.

"Right… jam tarts!" Fred said, and, almost instantly, a house-elf came running up with a tray full.

"Chocolate cakes!" Mia exclaimed, seeing a plate of them. One of the house-elves picked it up and handed it to Mia, beaming. She shrugged and took it, taking a bite out of one of them, nodding.

"Got any Butterbeer?" George asked.

"There is crates over here," a House-Elf said, hurrying over to a corner. It dragged two crates over to George, who picked them up.

They thanked the House-Elves and left the Kitchens, wandering along up to Gryffindor Tower. Mia with two large plates of chocolate cakes, Fred three trays of jam tarts stacked on top of each other and George with two crates of Butterbeer.

"Wish I knew how he did it," Fred wondered, wistfully.

They entered the Common Room and set the plates on the tables around the room.

Finally, they heard movement from outside in the hallway.

"_No, no, Vi, it's the password_," they heard the Fat Lady say. She swung forward, and instantly, everyone was screaming, shouting, and clapping Harry on the back.

Nobody noticed his down-hearted attitude.

"You should've told us you'd entered!" Fred yelled.

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.

"Didn't think of sharing your amazing plan with us?" Mia bellowed, ruffled Harry's hair.

"I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how…" of course, no one believed him.

"Oh, if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor-" Angelina was saying.

"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" shrieked Katie.

"We've got food, Harry, come and have some-"

"I'm not hungry; I had enough at the feast-"

"Oh, c'mon, Harry!" Mia yelled, shoving a plate with chocolate cakes on under his nose.

Fred and George threw the Gryffindor banner over Harry and knotted it so many times, Mia was sure it would be impossible to get off. Every time Harry got near the staircase, he was pulled back, but when Harry finally _did_ escape, the party still raved on.

Mia, Fred and George stood by the table with all the food on. Well, most of it had disappeared by now, but there was a few jam tarts left. Mia was holding a bottle of Butterbeer in her hand and taking a sip every few minutes.

"Right. So, seeing as all three of us failed to even get our name _into_ the Goblet, how _are_ we going to pass the time for the rest of this year?" Mia asked, taking another gulp of her Butterbeer.

Across the room, Angelina, Alicia and Katie were watching them carefully. Mia and George seemed to edging ever closer, but it was happening ever so slowly. An idea struck Angelina.

"FRED WEASLEY!" she yelled, fixing her face into an angry expression. Mia, Fred and George looked over to her.

"What happened?" Alicia asked, startled.

"Nothing, I'm helping our two little lovebirds," Angelina murmured before yelling, "WHAT EVER GAVE YOU THE IDEA THAT YOU HAD THE RIGHT TO-"

"Angie, don't cause a scene!" Alicia said, catching on to the idea. Several people were looking at her now. Across the room, Mia and George were trying not to laugh.

"Don't cause a scene? DON'T CAUSE A SCENE? OK, I WON'T! _FRED, GET OVER HERE __NOW!_" Fred's eyes flicked a bit, and then he slowly walked over to where the three chasers were standing.

"What did I do?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing," Angelina shrugged.

"Then why-"

"Mia and George can't have any fun with you standing around, now, can they?" Angelina winked. Fred just smirked.

"What do you reckon he did?" Mia asked, looking at them.

"Dunno, but its Angelina, she over-reacts," George replied. Mia nodded. They'd moved a bit, and Mia was now standing in front of George, who was leaning against the table. She leaned back against him and rested her head on his chest, closing her eyes and sighing. One of his arms rapped around her waist, the other began tapping a rhythm on her leg. She put the bottle back to her lips and tipped it up, but it was empty. She sighed placed it on the table behind her.

George watched suspiciously as Angelina and Fred converse across the room. He didn't notice when his fingers started to trace lightly up Mia's leg, pause at her hip, slide back down and repeat the motion, but Mia did. Her eyes flew open and she seemed to concentrate fully on his circling fingertips. She licked her lips and leaned back a bit more into him. He blinked, looking down at her and suddenly realised what he was doing, stopping, his hand hovering just above her hip.

Mia licked her lips again and twisted around, so she was facing George, and looked up at him. One arm was still around her waist, the other was now hanging limply by his side. They were close. There actually wasn't _any_ space between their bodies.

"I… I think imma go to bed!" she blurted out suddenly, without even thinking about it. She slid out of George's hold quickly and ran upstairs towards the girls' dormitory, without looking back. George watched her go with a dejected expression on his face, both arms now hanging limply by his side.

Across the room, Fred and Angelina cursed, and Fred walked over to his brother.

Upstairs, Mia threw herself onto her bed, wrapping her arms around her knees and leaning against the head bored. She stared blankly at the school books spread out across her bed, which she'd been throwing around franticly that morning trying to find her spare quills. She bit her lip. "I could've done it. Right there. I could've. But I didn't. _Why_?" she asked aloud, to, of all the books scattered over her bed, her potions book. It didn't answer her. She rested her head on her knees, groaning and gripping her scalp.

_Cuz you're an idiot?_ She thought.

She groaned and threw her head onto the pillow, covering her face with her hands.

_Yup_, she thought, _complete idiot._

**Well... Please Review!**


	10. Awkward Much?

**Chapter 10. Double figures :)**

**Thanks to: Adora81, '-Magical Moonshine-', shopoholic06, Oogie and authorinprogress97! Love you guys**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Jo Rowling. Therefor, I don't own Harry Potter**

**Ok, so I'm not really happy with this chapter. And, to be honest, I don't think i ever will be. This is the version i like best (i had about five different versions), so I hope its not too bad...**

Chapter 10: Awkward Much?

The next few weeks were probably the most awkward of Mia's life. The morning after she'd ran away from George she didn't look or speak to the twins at all. She went down to the Great Hall with the three Chasers and begged them to sit at the furthest seats possible away from Fred and George. This continued for about five days, and the closest she got to the twins was when she stood next to someone who was standing next to them whilst waiting to go into a lesson. Over those five days, George repeatedly tried to catch her eye, but, of course, failed.

One morning, after the five days, Mia wordlessly sat down next to Fred at breakfast, muttering a single word, which was "yeah" to answer Fred's question "you ok?"

She still spent a lot of time with Angelina, Alicia and Katie, but for three days, she was with Fred and George at all meals, and during free periods.

Day number nine was the first day Mia spent entirely with Fred and George. They went down to the kitchens, nearly drowned a Slytherin, and got detention. But still Mia and George were quieter then usual.

So now we come to day number fifteen. Mia, Fred and George were sitting in the common room. People were scattered around the room: Hermione was sitting by the fire, nose in a book and scribbling things down on a piece of parchment every now and then. Harry was sitting opposite, obviously only pretending to do his homework. Ron was sitting on the other side of the room with Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, shooting glares at Harry every now and then. Mia watched as Hermione sighed, slammed her book shut, stood up and walked over to Ron, talking to him in a hushed voice. There was a bunch of seventh years organising all of their notes from first year up, obviously to start revising for their N.E.W.T.s. Some fifth year girls were giggling, but stopped as a boy walked past, then giggled even louder. Ginny was with another third year girl, tossing her wand from hand to hand as they talked.

"When's the next Hogsmeade weekend?" Fred asked suddenly.

"This Saturday," Mia replied, scratching a star into the front of her Charms book with her quill.

"Which is…?"

"Well, today is Wednesday, so be a big boy and figure it out," she replied, glancing briefly at Fred. George sniggered and Mia caught his eye, but looked away quickly. Fifteen days and the awkwardness between them still hadn't left. She went back to engraving shapes in her book.

Fred looked between the two several times, annoyed. They really needed to get over it.

So he came up with a plan, completely ignoring the fact that his plans usually resulted in some kind of trouble.

Fred cast one final glance at the other two before saying, "did you guys do your Charms homework?"

Of course, Fred hadn't actually done the homework, but for the sake of this plan, he pretended he had.

"Yep," Mia replied, drawing the leg of a stickman onto the Charms book.

"… We had Charms homework?" George asked.

"Mmhmm. A page on how turning vinegar into wine can be effective," Mia said, looking up briefly.

"How can turning vinegar into wine be effective? It's completely pointless!" Mia rolled her eyes and flipped open her Charms book, took a piece of parchment out from the middle pages and slid it over the table to George. He read through it and started copying it down.

"Right. Well, I'm tired. G'night," Fred stood up, gave a dramatic, over the top stretch and headed to the boys dormitory. _He's up to something…_ Mia thought, but shrugged.

"Oh! Hermione?" Mia said, catching her wrist as she walked back past. Hermione looked down at her raised her eyebrows. "You got any spare parchment I can use?"

"Yeah, sure. _Accio _parchment," a slip flew towards them and Hermione handed it to Mia.

"Ta," she said. Hermione smiled slightly and went back to where Harry was, collected her stuff and headed up to her dormitory. Mia started scribbling on the parchment.

"What you doing?" George asked, still copying down her Charms homework.

"Writing a letter," she replied.

"Who to?"

"Mum and Dad." She scribbled out _Dad_ witch she had accidentally spelled _Dod_.

_Dear Mum and Dad,_

_How's life? Did you ever end up getting that new TV? If not, why? If yes… yay! Anyways… I guess I'm fine. Homework's being loaded on us, but I'm keeping on top of it._

She paused, and then decided that doing homework at breakfast the morning before it was due in counted as 'keeping on top of it'.

_The first task of the competition thingy is in a week, two days after my birthday… I guess I'll write to you and tell you about it. And tell Jess I said hi and I'm fine. Love you, Mia xx_

When she looked up, George had abandoned copying down the homework and was watching her.

"…What?" she asked.

"Nothing!" he copied down the last few words and dropped his quill on the table. She quickly read over her letter for any major mistakes, and looked back up. George was looking at her again.

"_What_?"

"Um… yeah, nothing," he replied. Mia licked her lips and looked around the room.

Across the room, Dean and Seamus stood up and went to bed. Ron came over and slumped on the sofa next to George, glowering at Harry, who was still looking blankly at an empty bit of parchment.

"What's wrong, Ron?" Mia asked, digging lines into her Charms book again.

"Same thing that's been wrong for a month!" he said. Harry looked up briefly.

"Actually, its only been fifteen days," George stated.

"Whatever," Ron replied, crossing his arms sulkily. Mia rolled her eyes and put her feet on the table in front of her.

"C'mon, Ron. He's your best mate! What you gunna do, hate him for the rest of your life?" she asked.

"I will if he doesn't apologise!" he practically exploded. On the other side of the room, Harry quietly stood up and left. Mia sighed.

"You two have been through a lot together-" George started.

"You're starting to sound like some marriage counsellor," Mia muttered. George snorted, but continued.

"No, but really," he said, "You helped him find that stone thing in your first year. You helped him get past that big snake that petrified a lot of people-"

Mia winced slightly at the memory. She'd been one of the petrified victims. She'd been walking back from the library and it was dark outside. She'd dropped her books, and after she'd picked them up, she'd glanced into a window. She'd caught sight of a large, yellow eye and…

The next thing she remembered was waking up in the Hospital Wing, with Hermione and Madame Pomfrey looking over her anxiously.

George carried on, "-and in your third you helped him catch Sirius Black!"

"Exactly," Ron said, "I _helped_ him. I never _am_ the one to do it!"

"What 'bout last year? When Sirius Black attacked you?" Mia offered.

"He wasn't attacking _me_! He was trying to attack Sca- Harry!" he exclaimed. Mia opened her mouth, but Ron had stormed off. Mia shrugged and drew a spiral in her book.

"How do I sound like a marriage councillor?" George asked suddenly.

"You don't."

"Huh?"

"Now you sound like some whiney teenage girl," she replied, smirking.

"Like you?" he lifted his feet up onto the table next to her's.

"I am _not_ a whiney teenage girl!" she cried, indignantly.

"See! There you go again! Whine, whine, whine! Blah, blah, blah!" George laughed, and ducked as she threw a cushion at him. "hey!"

"Oh, you deserved it!" she laughed as well, and screeched as he chucked the cushion back at her. It flew over her head and landed on the floor behind her chair.

"Fa-il!" she leaned forward.

"Just 'cause my amazing Beater skills allow me to throw further then you!"

"Beater skills haven't got anything to do with throwing! That's why you have a _bat_!" she scoffed.

"I still have to propel objects in a direction!"

"You don't even know what propel means!"

"I just used it, didn't I?" Mia rolled her eyes.

"Whatever, I'm tired. Night George,"

"Night."

From her chair, Ginny held up two thumbs and smiled, then went back to talking with her friend. On the staircase, Fred grinned and rushed upstairs to bed. His plan had worked perfectly. For once.

**Well, hope that wasn't too bad! To be honest, it could've been better, but I did have several other versions (like I said) and they were A LOT worse.**

**Please Review!**


	11. Dragons

**BOO! So here I am with the next chapter! It's the First Task of the Tournament.**

**Thank you to my lovely reviewers: Adora81, ImaginationGurl, ForeverTeamEdward13 and****Oogie (and I changed the sentence you was talking about. ^_^)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Mia. Wish I owned George, but I don't… nope, just Mia! And I used Inlibrary for some of the speech…**

Chapter 12: Dragons

"Good luck, Harry!" Mia yelled, along with half the Gryffindor table as McGonagall escorted him out of the Great Hall. "He looks like he's about to throw up," she muttered to Fred and George "I wonder what he's got to do." Katie mused from opposite her.

"I think it s something to do with dragons," Fred said.

"Why?"

"Charlie wrote to us saying he was gunna be here helping out with it," George told them.

"Dragons?" Mia exclaimed, "You mean they actually exist? You weren't kidding when you said Charlie was gunna go study 'em?"

"Mia, you were _there_ when he told us he was gunna go and study them," Fred told her.

"Oh yeah!" Mia said, pointing her fork at him.

Finally, once they had finished their lunch, they were taken out of the Great Hall and down towards the Forest towards and to a big arena. All the Beauxbatons students were clumped together, as were the Durmstrang students, but not as much. Mia, Fred and George stood in a row behind Hermione and Ron. They looked out to the middle of the enclosure. Sitting over a nest of eggs was a silvery blue dragon, eyeing the crowed suspiciously.

"What kinda dragon is it?" Mia yelled over the noise of the crowd.

"Charlie's the one studying them, not us!" George replied.

"It's a Swedish Short-Snout!" Ron shouted, turning around, "I actually pay attention to what Charlie writes in his letters!"

Suddenly, the crowd screamed. Cedric Diggory had entered the enclosure. Cedric looked at the dragon, then at the eggs underneath it. Mia looked too and saw something glint. A golden egg.

Cedric started forward, the dragon watched him, but didn't do anything. Soon, he seemed to get to close, and the dragon stretched its neck out, snapping. Cedric jerked back, and then started forward again. This time, the dragon breathed out electric blue fire. The crowd shouted support at him. Well, most of the crowd did. Mia was shouting things like "bite his head off, already!" and "burn off all his hair!" she could hear Fred and George laughing at her remarks.

Cedric tripped over a rock at one point and an idea seemed to strike him. He flicked his was and the rock he had tripped over seemed to change shape.

"No fucking way! That is not possible!" Mia yelled, staring at the small dog.

"Ah Mia… still so naive in the world of magic."

"Shut up, Fred!" the dog seemed to draw the dragon's attention and Cedric went in to get the egg. Just as he grabbed it, the dragon looked back at him and breathed more fire that grazed his cheek.

But the crowd was roaring, even Mia had abandon her insults to scream. A bunch of men came into the enclosure and started to control the dragon. "Hey look, its Charlie!" Mia pointed. She, Fred, George, Hermione and Ron started waving franticly. Charlie seemed to see them- he definitely looked in their direction, but he couldn't really do much, seeing as he was trying to tame a dragon.

Another dragon was brought out, with another nest of eggs. This dragon had green scales, and Ron told her it was a 'Welsh Green'. Fleur came out into to the enclosure.

She started off doing the same thing Cedric did, trying to get close to the eggs, but failing. Mia had started leaning over the railings like she had at the World Cup, and, just like at the World Cup, George had to grasp onto her waist to stop her from falling onto Ron and Hermione.

Fleur managed to make the dragon go to sleep and she made her way towards the egg, but the dragon snored and her skirt caught on fire. Yelping, she put the fire out with water from her wand and collected the egg. The crowd erupted into cheers, even her usually solemn school-mates. She stood there while the judges gave their scores, brushing hair out of her face.

Again, the Welsh Green was taken out of the enclosure and another one was brought in. A smooth, scarlet one with golden spikes on its face. A Chinese Fireball. And Viktor Krum came into the enclosure. Krum seemed to get more attention then Fleur and Cedric, and everyone seemed to lean forward. George was now holding onto rail with one hand, and onto Mia's waist with the other.

Krum went into action straight away. He pulled out his wand and started throwing spell after spell at the dragon's face. Finally, one of the spells hit the dragon's eyes and it screeched. Krum was almost flattened by the blundering beast, and it smashed some of its own eggs. But Krum managed to get his egg in a quicker time then the other two. He didn't really seem to acknowledge the cheering crowd and just stood there while the judges scored him. Karkaroff gave a fully-blown 10, despite the broken eggs.

Finally, the last dragon was brought out. It was black, with a spiked tail and horns. "Now _that_ dragon looks bad-ass," Mia said. A Hungarian Horntail. Harry came into the enclosure.

"WOO! C'MON, HARRY!" Mia yelled, clapping her hands above her head. Everyone watched as he lifted his wand into the air. "_Accio _Firebolt!" he yelled.

"_What_?" Mia screamed, "how the hell is his Firebolt gunna help him?" Mia and the twins leaned forward again, and so did Hermione and Ron in front of them. Harry was just standing there… waiting for something. Mia looked around, as did a lot of other people.

"It worked! IT WORKED!" Hermione was screeching, jumping and pointing towards the forest. People around them looked, and saw something flying towards Harry. His Firebolt. He mounted it and kicked of, flying towards the clouds. The crowd watched as he dived and swerved, circling the dragon. "Oh, Krum has _got_ to be jealous!" Mia screamed, clapping as Harry narrowly missed some flames. He started to fly higher and higher, and the crowd had to crane their necks. Finally, the dragon flew after him, and Mia cringed back as its wing came within a metre of the stands. Harry dived again, and scooped up the golden egg. Charlie and the other dragon keepers rushed on to control the dragon, and Harry just stood there and swayed.

"WOO! GO HARRY! WOO!" Mia was yelling, punching the air and clapping along with the rest of Gryffindor. Harry was told to go to the first aid tent and Hermione and Ron scrambled out of their seats to rush after him.

"You reckon Ron's gunna apologise to him?" Fred yelled, still clapping.

"He wouldn't have gone if he weren't!" Mia replied. Hermione rushed back out of the tent and back in front of them, with tears falling down her face.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" Mia asked, leaning over the rail to look at her. George grabbed onto her to stop her falling flat onto the floor.

"Th-th-they are such _idiots_!" she screamed, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

"Who? Harry and Ron?" Mia asked.

"_Yes!_" Mia couldn't help it. She laughed, and so did Hermione. As George pulled her back up, Hermione pointed to the edge of the enclosure. "There they are!" sure enough, Harry and Ron stood there, grinning like idiots, but it was that kind of grin you had when you don't know your grinning, you just are.

The judges gave their scores. Pretty good scores- one eight, two nines and even one ten- until Karkaroff, who shot a number four out of his wand. Half the crowd started to _boo_. "Oh, fuck YOU! BIASED, YELLOW TOOTHED IDIOT!" Mia was yelling, stamping her foot and throwing her upper body over the rail. Again. Her hair fell in front of her eyes and she hastily pushed it out the way. "HOW THE HELL WAS THAT FOUR? A _FOUR_? WAS YOU EVEN _WATCHING_ WHAT HARRY WAS DOING?" she continued to scream abuse at Karkaroff with the rest of the school. Except the Slytherins, but they were Slytherins.

Later that evening, Mia, Fred and George set down plates of food and crates of Butterbeer on the tables around the common room. "I have a feeling were gunna be doing this a lot this year," Mia told them.

"That's good, though, ain't it? Means you got a feeling that Harry's gunna win all the tasks," Fred said.

"Fred, I'm sure we'd throw a party even if he lost." Fred just shrugged. Mia helped a few people charm some banners Dean Thomas had drawn so they moved. Although, one of them didn't go very well. It was one with Cedric and his head alight, running around and screaming, but somehow she missed one of his legs, so the cartoon Cedric was hopping. Oh well, the dragon bit his leg off as well.

The portrait hole opened and in came Ron, Hermione and Harry. Everyone instantly started cheering and screaming. Mia, who was standing right next to it, couldn't help but ruffle his hair. "Don't embarrass the Champion, Mia!" Fred said.

"Yeah, let us do that!" George said, and they continued up where Mia left off, but probably with a lot more force and brute.

The people slowly dispersed and started talking. Mia tired to get Cedric's disembowelled leg to start moving again, but only resulted in turning it a sickly green colour. So now the cartoon dragon seems to of bitten cartoon Cedric's leg off _and_ infected it in someway. Finally, she gave up. Sticking her wand in her pocket she wandered over to where Harry, Ron and Hermione were sitting. She picked up the golden egg and almost dropped it.

"Effing hell! What the hell's in here, Harry?" she asked, dropping it back onto the table with a _thud_ and flexing her fingers.

"Open it!" Fred suggested.

"Yeah! Let's see what's in it!" George said.

"He's supposed to work out the clue on his own! Is the Tournament rules…" Hermione trailed off as Harry whispered something to her.

"Go one, Harry, open it!" Alicia said.

"C'mon, Harry!"

"Yeah! What's in it?"

Harry picked up the egg and dug his fingers into the side. Slowly, he forced it open. A screeching noise filled the room and Mia clasped her hands over her ears, hunching over, scrunching her eyes shut and biting her tongue.

"SHUT IT!" Mia yelled. Somehow, her voice carried over the egg's scream and Harry slammed it close. Well, I guess years of talking and back-chat really did come in useful.

"What was that?" said Seamus Finnigan "Sounded like a banshee ...Maybe you've got to get past one of those next, Harry!"

"It was someone being tortured!" said Neville, "You're going to have to fight the Cruciatus Curse!"

"Neville, that's illegal… I don't think they'd do that…" Mia told him gently, seeing he'd gone paper white.

"I thought it sounded a bit like Percy singing... maybe you've got to attack him while he's in the shower, Harry." George mused. Mia laughed.

"Or maybe they've just gotta stand the sight of him… that'd certainly be hard enough," she said, fiddling with the rose on her necklace.

"Want a jam tart, Hermione?" Fred offered suddenly.

"Random much?" Mia muttered. Hermione eyed the plate suspiciously.

"It's all right," Fred told her, "I haven't done anything to them. It's the custard creams you've got to watch—" Neville coughed and spat out a bit of custard cream.

"He's kidding, Neville," Mia said, slapping his back so he wouldn't choke.

Hermione picked up a jam tart. "Did you get all this from the kitchens, Fred?" she asked.

"Yep," he replied, then made his voice higher. "'Anything we can get you, sir, anything at all!' They're dead helpful... get me a roast ox if I said I was peckish."

"Which is all the time," Mia murmured, earning a whack around the head.

"How do you get in there?" Hermione asked.

"Easy," Fred said, "concealed door behind a painting of a bowl of fruit. Just tickle the pear, and it giggles and-" he suddenly stopped. "Why?"

"Nothing," said Hermione, far too quickly.

"Going to try and lead the house-elves out on strike now, are you?" said George. "Going to give up all the leaflet stuff and try and stir them up into rebellion?" Mia laughed along with the rest of the common room.

"Don't try to get 'em to wear clothes and get paid, Hermione, they won't like it!" Mia said.

"Yeah! You'll put them off their cooking!" Fred exclaimed.

Suddenly, Neville sprouted yellow feathers. Everyone burst out laughing. "Oh- sorry, Neville!" Fred yelled. "I forgot- it was the custard creams we hexed…" within a few second, however, the feathers fell out and Neville started to laugh as well.

"Canary Creams!" Fred yelled. "George and I invented them- OW! Fine! With a bit- OW! FINE! With _a lot _of help from Mia! Seven Sickles each, a bargain!"

As the night went on, Hermione started inspecting the food carefully. Well, she skirted the Canary Creams, but everything else she looked at intently. "I hope she don't do anything stupid…!" Mia muttered, watching her as she slowly tasted a lemon cake.

"Yeah! I don't really want to be eating burnt sausages for breakfast!" Fred crossed his arms.

"We'll just have to go down there even more to make sure she hasn't spoiled their judgment…" Mia hinted.

"We're not going down to the kitchens every night so you can ask them about Pop Tarts and not get any," George said.

"Damn it!"

**So… there was the chapter concerning the First Task… I **_**think**_** it was ok… but only time (and reviews) will tell!**

**So, next chapter should be up soon… and please review!**


	12. December

**He**_**llo**_**! How're you today? Well, you're about to get a hell lot better! Chapter 13 is up!**

**Thank you to my lurrrvly reviewers:****Adora81, rowellylovesgryffindor and ForeverTeamEdward13! You guys are immense!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Mia, Céleste and Anton… and when Mia uses the spell **_**Exaresco… **_**I found this spell after searching for it… none of the websites (like wikipedia) are particularly reliable, but it's the best I have… so…**

**Oh and when I typed in Frenchnames, the names Céleste was one of the ones that came up. If it just so happens to not be French, give me a French one!**

**Also, this is my first try at writing a French accent. If I think it turns out well, I may continue, if I think it turns out horrible, I won't and just say that the person speaking is French or whatever.**

**So, this chapter- as the name suggests- is set during December. It is vital concerning the next few chapters and_ the scene at the end has been sitting in my mind for a _**_**very**_** long time… so have fun reading!**

Chapter 13: December

The weather became colder. And Mia hated the cold. Every morning, when she looked up at the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall, she groaned and wished for summer, wondering why she couldn't live in a place like Tenerife or Australia. And within the first week of December, it had started to snow. Every morning, the grounds were layered with another new blanket of snow, hiding all the footprints of the previous day.

Mia, Fred and George were trudging back up to the castle. Mia and George had snow in their hair and clinging to their eyelashes. Fred, however, was sopping wet and shivering. "I _hate_ snow!" Mia suddenly exclaimed.

"Mia… you've j-just particip-pated in one of our most b-brutal snow-ball fight-ts in history! You p-pushed me into the lake!" Fred said, teethe chattering.

"Well, then dry off!" Mia said, exasperated.

"And how d-do you propose I d-do that?" Mia sighed and stopped walking, yanking her wand out of her coat pocket. She pointed it at Fred.

"___Exaresco__!" _she said. The water on Fred's robes evaporated.

"Thanks… but I could've done that," he said.

"Then why didn't you?" Fred opened his mouth to reply, closed it, the opened it again.

"Because I wanted to make you feel like you actually knew something," he said.

"I know a hell lot more then you, that's for sure. Now can we go inside? Please? While I may enjoy massive snow-ball fights, I hate the temperature that causes them!" she turned around and started towards the castle again.

As they were walking up the stone steps, a high, girly voice came from behind them. "Excuse me?" they all turned around and saw a girl hurrying up the steps. She was tall, with caramel coloured skin and long, very thick, course black hair. She had small, dark brown eyes and high cheek bone. She was pretty, but she was nothing on Fleur Delacour. "Excuse me?" she said again, in a prominent French accent. So she was from Beauxbatons.

"Mmm?" Mia asked, looking up to her and smiling politely as she came to a stop on the step below them.

"Do you know where I could find Professor… Rubeus 'Agrid? Madame Maxime 'as given me a message for 'im," the girl said. She looked at the three Hogwarts students, fluttering her eyelashes at George. Mia felt her smile drop.

"Yeah, he's probably in his hut," Mia pointed in the direction. The girl looked and squinted her small eyes.

"I cannot see anytheeng…" she said.

"Yeah, it's a bit of a walk, but it is there," Mia replied. The girl looked in the direction again.

"But… what if get lost? I could go in the completely wrong direction…" the girl looked at the three again, then at George, "per'aps you could show me ze way?" the girl smiled sweetly and fluttered her eyelashes a bit more. Mia crossed her arms and huffed, a small cloud coming out of her mouth. George just blinked for a second.

"Well… I'm kinda…" he started, but the girl cut across him.

"Please? I don't want to get lost," she bit her bottom lip.

"Um, o…k?" he said. The girl grinned happily.

"Thank you. I promeeze, I won't keep you out in zis cold long," George slowly walked down the steps with the girl. "I am Céleste, by ze way."

"Um… George…" he looked back at Mia and Fred before almost slipping off one frozen step. He didn't look back as they went off in the direction of Hagrid's hut.

Mia and Fred climbed up the staircases and wandered down the corridors towards Gryffindor tower. "I mean, what kind of name is _Céleste_, anyway?" she said, shrilly.

"A… French name?" Fred suggested.

"Oh, shut up, Fred!" she snapped. Fred just rolled his eyes and sighed.

When they got to the common room, Mia ran up to her dormitory quickly, threw off her coat, kicked off her three-inch, block heeled boots and picked up _Medicine Magic: a Guide to the World of Magical Medicine_ and headed back downstairs. She curled up in the armchair opposite Fred (who was scratching something down on a piece of parchment) and opened the book where she had left off: _Pepperup Potion_. This was a potion that could get rid of colds.

Fifteen minutes later, the portrait hole swung open and in came George, with a red nose and snow still in his hair. "_I'm glad I don't need to go out in this dreadful weather!_" the Fat Lady said as her picture swung shut.

"Have fun?" Mia asked, not looking up from the page on the Wiggenweld Potion- a potion that wakes up someone in an enchanted sleep.

"Do you _know_ how cold it is out there?" he asked, flopping onto an armchair.

"Yes. I do. I've just spent an hour being pelted with balls of snow. With you two." She replied, still not looking up.

"And pushing me into the lake," Fred added.

"It wasn't that hard, really," she said, finally looking away from the book, "all I had to do was push you with one finger…"

Fred scoffed, "you had to ram into me with your whole body! You almost fell in yourself!" he told her.

"Yeah, 'cause _I_ was the one who walked halfway back to the castle looking like he had his own personal rain-cloud!"

"That's why I said _almost_!" Fred said, in a 'duh' voice. Mia rolled her eyes and flicked her hand at him, turning to George.

"We going down to the kitchen tonight? Make sure Hermione hasn't put them on strike?" she asked.

"We went down last night-" he started.

"yeah, we don't want you getting' fat!" Fred cut him off. "OW!"

"Oh, it was a PILLOW!"

A few days later, Mia sat in the library with Angelina, a few potion books open on the table, and parchment scattered around them. Mia sighed and gripped her scalp, before scribbling out a word, only to write it again seconds later. She sighed again and fiddled with the rose around her neck.

"I'm going to go find another book that might help," Angelina said, standing up and walking away.

"You do that," Mia muttered, crossing a 'T', only to realise it was actually meant to an 'L'.

"Hello," a deep voice said. Mia looked up and saw a boy sliding into Angelina's seat. He was quite tall, probably seventeen, with messy, sandy blonde hair and green eyes. One of his ears was pierced, and he was smiling lazily.

"Hi?" she said, pathetically.

"My name is Anton," he said. He had an accent, but Mia couldn't place it. It wasn't French, so he wasn't from Beauxbatons.

"Really?" Mia said, plastering an unimpressed expression on her face. He didn't seem to get the hint. "And what might your name be?"

"Mia."

"Ah… a very pretty name, for a very pretty girl" he said.

"Thanks…" Angelina came back around the bookshelf and Mia shot her a look saying _Please come help me!_ Angelina decided to ignore this look. She stood and watched. Subconsciously, Mia slipped on her cardigan and zipped it up.

"So tell me…" Anton leaned forward, "is there any boy in this school lucky enough to have you?"

"Um…" she considered saying 'yes', but somehow, the word 'no' came out of her mouth. _Damn it!_

"That, I am surprised as," Anton said.

"Why?" Mia asked, looking at Angelina again, why just smiled and put her hand to her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"Because, usually, girls as pretty as you are not left alone for long."

"What's so pretty about me?" Mia asked, raising her eyebrows. Anton came out with the classic.

"Well, you eyes, for one thing. Light brown and wide…" _Was that meant to be a complement?_

"Last time somebody described my eyes, they said 'Bambi without the innocence'," Mia replied.

"What is a Bambi?" Anton asked. Mia just looked at him. Finally, Angelina decided to come and save her.

"Um… excuse me, but I was kinda sitting there…" she said.

"Oh! Forgive me," Anton stood up, "I hope to see you again soon, Mia," he bowed his head slightly and left the library.

As Angelina sat down, she blew out a breath and fanned herself with her hand. "What is _wrong_ with you? He's so _fit_!" she said.

"Yeah. If you like the pervy-let's-go-flirt-with-some-random-girl type," Mia replied.

"But _still_! I tell you, if George don't make a move soon, he is definitely your back-up-boy," Angelina said. Mia just rolled her eyes and crossed another 'T', groaning when she realised she had just crossed another 'L' instead.

A few days before term ended, Mia sat in transfiguration, between the twins. She had given up trying to turn the hat into a mouse, and just sat there.

"If I could please have your attention!" McGonagall said, from the front, "I have a quick note to give out before we end out lesson." Everyone looked up at her. "The Yule Ball is approaching—a traditional part of the Triwizard Tournament and an opportunity for us to socialize with our foreign guests. Although the Ball is really only for students above fourth year, you may invite a younger student if you wish. Dress robes _will_ be worn, and the Ball will start in the Great Hall at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, finishing at midnight. Of course, the Yule Ball is a chance to, perhaps, relax a little. BUT, that _does not_ give the freedom to lower the views of Hogwarts in our guests' minds. I will be most seriously displeased if a Gryffindor student embarrasses the school in _any way_," at this, her eyes fell upon Mia, Fred and George.

When the bell rang, everyone left the class, talking about the Yule Ball in one way or another. In the Great Hall, they sat down opposite the three Chasers.

"Did you hear? About the Ball?" Alicia asked, excited.

"Yep," Mia replied, eyeing the food. Not burnt. Hermione was restraining herself.

"Well… _we_ found out this morning, in History of Magic. And guess what?" Alicia went on.

"What?"

"Michael asked me!" Alicia squealed. Everyone stared at her blankly.

"Who?" Fred asked.

"Michael! Michael Spooner! In Ravenclaw… seventh year. I told you about him earlier this year!" she replied.

"Nope…" Mia said, racking her brains.

"Oh! I remember!" Katie said. "I remember…" just one person remembering seemed to be enough for Alicia and she daydreamed for the rest of lunch.

Finally, the Christmas Holiday rolled around and Mia, George and Fred were wandering around the castle, looking for something to do. The twins refused to go down to the kitchens, despite Mia's many hints and suggestions.

"Y'know, if you're not gunna go down to the kitchens willingly, I'll just have to force you," she said.

"And how would you do that?" Fred asked,

"Easy!" she grabbed Fred's bag and yanked it off his shoulder, sprinting down the corridor.

"OI!" he yelled, running after her. George, laughing, dashed after them.

Mia rounded a corner and hid behind a suit of armour. Fred came around the corner with George and they stopped.

"Where'd she go?" Fred asked. George saw her peeking out from behind the armour and she winked at him. He grinned back and just shrugged at his brother. Mia, being the nosey girl she is, opened Fred's and started to root through its contents: his Charms book (that probably had half the pages missing), some Dungbombs, a couple of Fake Wands, a few Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans rolling around in the bottom (which had probably been there for months) and… a folded piece of parchment. Brow furrowed, she picked it up and un-folded it, reading the words.

_Dear Bagman…_ her eyes skimmed over the words. She stormed out from behind the statue and threw Fred's bag at him. "You can't seriously be thinking of sending this!" she said, holding the letter up.

"What is it" George asked cautiously. She shoved it into his hands and crossed her arms, popping her hip out as he glanced at it.

"Um… well… not real-"

"He conned us!" Fred cut off.

"So you thought you'd just go ahead and _blackmail_ him? I mean… it's… it's… it's _blackmail_!" she cried. Fred opened his mouth, but she spoke again before he could, "I mean, did you guys think it might've been an accident? I mean, there was loadsa Leprechaun Gold there! He could've given it to you by accident!"

"Yup, and we asked him! But he ignored us. Then he turned up here, so we asked him again. And now he ain't giving us anythin'! Apparently we were too young!" Fred said.

"… He didn't?"

"He did," George replied, solemnly.

"That cheating bastard!" Mia exclaimed. "But y'know… it's still blackmail… I mean… you get caught for that… it'll be bad…"

"Which is _why_ we're not sending it," George said, stuffing the letter into his pocket.

"Yet…" Fred muttered quietly. Both Mia and George ignored him.

George, Alicia, Fred, Angelina, Mia and Katie were leaving the Great Hall to go outside and throw around some snow.

"I can't _believe _Snape gave us that massive long essay to do over the holiday!" Angelina was saying, "We should really do it, Mia."

"Angie, in two days it'll be Christmas Eve. I am _not_ spending the week running up to Christmas doing _homework_! I'll do it after Christmas!" Mia replied, sticking her hands in her pockets. "Anyways, it's not like-" she was cut off.

"George!" everyone turned around to see a tall, caramel colour-skinned girl walking towards them. Céleste. She stopped in front of them and looked at all of them. "'Allo," she greeted, and then looked at George. "Can I speak to you for a minute?" she asked.

"Errrm… ok…" Céleste grinned and skipped a few metres away, out of earshot. George followed her slowly. Fred raised his eyebrows, Mia crossed her arms, Angelina furrowed her brow, Katie bit her lip and Alicia glanced at Mia. Céleste started talking to George, who gave short replies. Most of which looked like 'um' or 'ok'. Finally, Céleste smiled and batted her eyelashes and they walked back over. Smiling, Céleste said, "I am sorry to keep you all waiting," she smiled at George again and walked away.

"What was that about?" Fred asked, as the walked across the Entrance Hall.

"She asked me to go to the Yule Ball with her…" George replied.

"And did you say yes?" Mia asked cautiously.

"Well, I couldn't exactly say no, could I?"

"Yes you could," Mia replied, "Harry's said no to loadsa girls!"

"All of whom he's never actually met," Alicia reminded her.

When they got to the doors, Mia stopped. The snow was at least a foot higher then it had been the previous day. "Oh, I am _not_ going out in _that_!" she said.

"_Awwww_! C'mon, Mia!" Katie complained.

"No. I'm sorry. I'm not going out in snow that covers half my leg. My foot, yes. My ankle, maybe. But _not_ half my leg!" she turned and went back through the entrance hall. Fred and George just shrugged. They didn't understand Mia's mood swings, but Alicia, Angelina and Katie glanced at each other. Angelina sighed and ran after Mia.

Later that night, Mia and the three Chasers were in the dormitory. Angelina was sitting on her bed, Alicia and Katie were leaning against the headboard of Alicia's bed and Mia was standing in the middle of the room. Her finished Potions essay lay on her bedside table. Finally, Angelina decided it was time to address a little problem.

"What are you gunna do?" she asked.

"About what?" Mia turned around to face her.

"About a little problem called Céleste."

"_Céleste_," Mia sneered the name, "why couldn't she just ask someone from her own school?" she asked moodily. "I'll probably just end up going alone! I mean," she pointed to Angelina, "_you're_ going with Fred!" then she pointed to Alicia, "and you're going with _Michael Spooner_," then to Katie, "and you're going with some random guy called Timothy who's in _Hufflepuff_! Fred's going with you-" again, her finger went to Angelina.

"You already said that," but Mia carried on like she hadn't been interrupted.

"And George's going with_ Céleste_! And who am I going with? No one!" she whipped around and looked at her self in the mirror. She met her reflection's brown, too-wide eyes. "Yet…" she muttered.

"What do you mean?" Katie asked. Mia brushed her fingers along her cheek bone, and then scooped back her hair. And her next words, Angelina's eyebrows quirked, and Katie and Alicia glanced at each other worriedly.

"Oh, I am going to make him wish. He. Was. Mine."

**Now… what's Mia going to do? What plan has her mind come up with?**

**The next chapter is the Yule Ball, and I have it ALL set out. It'll be up soon… the more reviews the sooner!**

**Remember, to find out Mia's plan, review!**


	13. Dances and Dresses

**Well, well, well… I have returned with the next chapter… set during the Yule Ball. You all had your guesses at what Mia was going to do, and, to be honest, I'm pretty sure you all got it right. Yes, it may be clichéd… BUT there is one little detail that is not so clichéd… you'll find that out later on.**

**So now, let me thank all those people who voiced (or wrote) their thoughts: Adora81, ForeverTeamEdward13, rowellylovesgryffindor Oogie, Jasey-Rei, Tesariel Evenstar and the Anonyms Reviewer who didn't leave their name. Thank you. **

**Disclaimer: Guess what? I still own nothing… 'cept Mia, Céleste and Anton, of course.**

**Anyways, the next chapter starts just a few lines down, so… hope ya like it, and enjoy!**

Chapter 14: Dances and Dresses

Mia stood in front of the mirror, twisting her body so she could see herself at every angle. Her dress was a dark crimson colour. The top part of it was styled like a corset, with black laces at the back to tie it up and thin, black swirls curling up the front of it. The skirt was a slightly darker shade and came to her mid-thigh, flaring out ever-so-slightly. Her shoes were black, two inch high sandals, and the straps across her feet made to look like they were made of small flowers. Her hair had been made to fall in waves and she'd clipped half of it up, letting a few strands fall around her face. Silver eye shadow, mascara and eyeliner made her already wide eyes look almost circular, and her lips had a light shine. She didn't usually wear lip-gloss, because of her habit of licking her lips whenever she was nervous, but she wore it tonight. Oh yes, her plan was going to work.

She turned to Alicia, Angelina and Katie, placing her hands on her hips. "Ready to go?" Alicia asked.

"Yep," Mia replied, "oh! Wait a minute!" she turned back to the mirror and grabbed the rose around her neck, on the necklace George had given to her for her birthday. If she wore it, then her plan probably wouldn't work… but she really didn't want to take it off. She fiddled with the rose for a few seconds, before dropping in down the front of her dress. All you could see was the chain; it could be any necklace from anyone. "Ok, now I'm ready," she said.

"Right, Fred said he'd meet me down in the Entrance Hall so I could walk there with you guys," Angelina said, "So let's go!"

They reached the Entrance Hall and veered off in different directions towards their dates. Alicia went to Michael Spooner (who wasn't cracked up to be), Katie walked over to the Hufflepuff named Timothy, and Angelina went over to Fred. Who was standing with George. Who had Céleste at his side. Her hair had been pulled back into a French plait and she was wearing a floaty silver dress. Mia only let her eyes skim over them as she looked around the Hall.

She smiled, walking past Fred, Angelina, Céleste and George towards Anton. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw George turn his head and look at her, but only out of the corner of her eye. One major part of the plan was not to look at him.

She stopped in front of Anton. "Hi," she said, smiling sweetly.

"Hello," he replied, taking her hand and kissing. She smiled a bit more, willing a blush to rise to her cheeks. It probably didn't.

They walked into the Great Hall, Mia had her arm through Anton's, and somehow, they ended up walking in front of George and Céleste. She made sure not to look back, but she could hear them talking. Or, rather, Céleste talking, George only gave very short replies.

Mia looked around the Great Hall- at the frosty walls and the ivy, and the hundreds of small, silver tables. "Where would you like to sit?" Anton asked. He seemed to be laying on the accent thicker then before.

"I don't mind," Mia replied, shrugging slightly. Anton steered her towards a table with several Durmstrang students. There were a few Beauxbatons girls and one Hogwarts boy. Anton held out her seat as she sat down, and then sat in a chair next to her.

The champions came into the Hall. Fleur Delacour was with Roger Davies, the Ravenclaw Quidditch captain. Cedric had come with Cho Chang, whom Mia was pretty sure was in Ravenclaw. Harry was with Parvati Patil. Mia briefly remembered the other day, when, in a fit of panic and fear at looking like an idiot alone, he'd asked her to go with him, but her plan was already formed in her mind, and Harry just wouldn't make the cut. She didn't know who Krum was with, until she looked twice. Hermione. Mia's eyebrows shot up, straight hair and straight teeth seemed to suit her. They all sat down at the front table.

Mia looked down to the fancy gold plates around the table, and at the small menus placed next to them. Up at the top table, Dumbledore said to his plate, "Pork chops!" and guess what? Pork chops appeared on his plate. All around the Hall, people copied him. Mia read down her menu and decided on "Duck!" she hadn't had duck since the summer before her first year. She smiled as her plate filled with slices of duck. Next to her, Anton seemed to have chosen the same as Dumbledore, pork chops.

Across the Hall, George sat at his table, looking over at Mia. He didn't know who the boy was that she was with, but he decided he looked way to old for her, and that any boy who pierced his ear was dodgy. It didn't even cross his mind that Bill, his own brother, had done the very same. Envy reared up inside him as the boy's hand slowly started to crawl up Mia's arm.

"George?"

"Hm?" he looked over at Céleste, who was looking at him expectantly with those small eyes.

"I was askeeng what you usually do at Chreestmas. Do you stay 'ere? Or do you go 'ome?" she asked.

"um… go home…" he answered, his eyes drifting back to Mia, who had removed her arm from under his hand, but was laughing at something he had just said. She turned towards the boy, holding her shoulders back, flaunting her body at him. Little did he know, she was actually flaunting her body at _him_, George.

"His name's Anton," Angelina murmured.

"What?"

"The boy she's with. His name's Anton, from Durmstrang. She met him in the library 'bout a week ago," she told him. He looked back over to them. Mia was now talking to him eagerly.

Finally, once everyone had stopped eating, Dumbledore stood up, and everyone copied. He waved his wand and the tables flew to the edge of the room. He waved it again and a stage appeared, complete with instruments. A group of people dressed in ripped, black robes walked onto the stage, picking up the instruments. Everyone around the Hall was clapping wildly, so Mia joined in, despite having absolutely no idea who these people were. She caught someone saying "I can't believe the rumours were true! The Weird Sisters!" ok… so they were called the Weird Sisters.

The champions walked onto the dance floor- Harry tripping over his robes as he went- and the Weird Sisters started to play a slow tune. The champions started to dance and Mia had to hold back a laugh Harry's dancing skills. Or lack of. Hermione and Krum were dancing a little way off. Soon, though, several other people joined them. Dumbledore and Madame Maxime were waltzing, Ginny was trying to avoid Neville's feet, failing and grimacing every time he stood on them, Moody was dancing with a teacher Mia didn't know, but she looked very nervous, probably because of the wooden leg, which was probably heavier then Neville's feet.

Anton held out his hand, "Would you like to dance?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." Mia smiled and took his hand as he led her onto the dance floor. He placed one hand on her waist and took her own with the other as she put her free hand on his shoulder. He twisted her around and she spotted George glowering at them, just before leading Céleste onto the floor. She smiled. Her plan was working. Finally, the slow tune ended and a faster one started. "Would you like to keep dancing?" Anton asked.

"Yes, definitely." She replied.

George watched as Anton twirled her and caught her around her waist. The bottom of her dress swung around her legs and a few more strands of hair fell around her face. He subconsciously twisted Céleste, and put his arms around her neck, looking back to his date. Wishing Mia was there with him wasn't going to make it happen. But however many times he forced himself to look back to Céleste, his eyes always ended up drifting back to Mia. He narrowed his eyes when she pressed up against Anton, and clenched his fists when Anton's hands slid a little too low below her hips.

Mia felt Anton's hands slip down. _That_ was a little too far, even for her plan. She turned, taking both his hands in her own and twisting the top half of her body. As she spun under his arm, she spotted Harry and Ron sitting in a far off corner, looking very solemn and moody. She winked at them quickly before turning to face Anton again.

About half way through the nigh, Mia saw Céleste talking to Angelina by where the drinks were, and spun around, swiping her eyes across the room. She spotted Fred and George talking to Ludo Bagman, and twisted herself and Anton around so she could keep an eye on them. Bagman shook them off and trotted over to where Harry and Ron were still sitting. Obviously, Percy had joined them at some point. The twins looked disappointed and went back to their dates. Mia could guess what they had been doing. And after she had specifically told them how dangerous it was!

Another song started, which was _much_ faster then the other one. Mia spun out of Anton, still holding onto one hand, then spun back into his chest. She twisted under his arm again, and hopped from foot to foot, kicking forward slightly. Her dress swung around her mid-thighs and she flicked a bit of hair out of her eyes.

George sat in a chair. Céleste had decided she wanted to 'take a break' and was talking to Angelina earnestly about something. Fred was sitting next to him. On the edge of the dance floor, Mia was twisting and turning. Her cheeks had flushed pink and she was smiling widely.

"She, er, looks like she's having fun," Fred commented, following George's gaze.

"Huh?"

"Mia. She looks like she's having a good time," Fred repeated.

"Yeah…" Fred watched his brother, then glanced at Angelina, who shot him a look.

"Y'know, I reckon she's trying to make you jealous," he stated. George furrowed his brow, looking up.

"Sure," he said sarcastically, "I thought that when girls were trying to make you jealous they keep looking at you."

"Well… maybe that's the whole point. So it doesn't seem like she's trying making you jealous."

"Where did you get that idea from?" George asked.

"Something Angelina said," Fred shrugged. George rolled his eyes and went back to making sure Anton didn't do something he would regret.

Eventually, the songs got slower, and as the time edge towards twelve o'clock, Mia's feet started to hurt. What was probably the slowest song of the night had just finished playing, and Mia looked over at Anton. She'd completed her plan, and actually found out that dancing with Anton was a bit of fun, but he wasn't about to replace George. She smiled at him, "um… do you mind if we leave? It's getting late and I'm tired… and my feet hurt," she said.

"Of course, whatever the lady wants," he replied, and they made their way to the doors. George watched them go as he danced with Céleste.

"Would you like me to walk you back to your common room?" Anton asked as they got to the Entrance Hall.

"Um… no, it's all right… I mean, it's on the top floor of the castle and you'd have to walk all the way up there, then come all the way back down to go back to your boat." She replied.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah… um… thank you, I had fun," she said.

"As did I. Well, good night," he kissed her hand and went towards the doors that led outside. Mia turned towards the stairs and took a step forwards, but was stopped. "Excuse me!" she turned back around and saw Céleste coming out of the Hall.

"Yes?" Mia asked, in a slightly cold voice.

"Um… Mia? Your name is Mia?" Céleste asked.

"Yes."

"I am sorry," Céleste said. Mia's brow furrowed and she took a step forward.

"What for?" she asked. Céleste bit her lip.

"I did not know you and George were… well, there izn't really a word to describe it," Céleste said.

"What does that mean?" Mia asked, in utter confusion.

"You and George. You 'ave some sort of… claim over each other. It eez like you are almost a couple… but not," Céleste tried to explain, "I did not know, so I asked 'im to come 'ere tonight with me… but the way 'e was watching you tonight… I cannot compete with that."

"Um…" Mia said, completely amazed. "Please, don't take offence when I say this… but when I first met you I thought you were some kind of…"

"A slut? A whore?" Céleste supplied.

"Um, yeah… but… er, thank you?" Mia offered.

"Do not worry. There is plenty of men out there. For me, at least. For you… there is only George," Céleste started to un-plait her hair, "I theenk I will be going back to ze carriage. Goodnight Mia. I am glad you can understand what I am trying to say," with that, the French girl walked past Mia and out of the doors. Mia looked at the footprints in the snow for a second before turning back to the stairs again, walking up a few of them. Only to be stopped. Again.

"Mia!" the voice sounded ever-so-slightly desperate. This time, however, instead of turning all her body, she just looked behind her shoulder. George was standing there, his arms hanging by his sides and a worried expression on his face. Thought Mia doubted he was worried about her, he was probably worried about himself and what might happen to him.

Finally, she turned to face him completely. She walked back down the few steps and paused a couple feet in front of him. "Did you, er, have fun tonight?" he asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah. You?" she replied, licking her lips, for the first time that night.

"It was alright," he replied, shrugging. Something caught his eye and his eyebrows knitted together. He took one of his hands out of his pocket and it went towards her, hovering over the small chain. She licked her lips again and he pulled the rose out from her dress, stepping towards her. "I thought you took it off…" he muttered, running his thumb along the petals.

"Why would I do that?" she replied.

"Well, considering you haven't spoken to me for the past couple days…" Mia smiled, with a bit of a shamed expression.

"You know… I think they're just starting the last song…" he said. Mia smiled, and followed him back into the Hall. There was only a few people left now. Fred and Angelina were dancing a little way off, and Neville and Ginny had finally seemed to have perfected stepping from side to side. Seamus Finnigan was dancing with Lavender Brown, and Parvati was with some Beauxbatons guy.

Mia stood opposite George and he slid his arms around her waist. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest. They turned slowly to the music and she smiled, breathing in. George's hand came up to her hair, twisting the bottom of it in his fingers. She looked up to him, smiling. She thought about it. She could do it. Right there. Right now. But a voice entered her mind. It wasn't the like the malicious voice that had spoken to her last time she'd let the opportunity slide. It was nicer. Calmer. _This moment's good enough all ready…_ and she decided to agree with it. So she just stayed there, dancing with George during the last song of the Yule Ball.

**So how was that? The Yule Ball… one of my favourite parts of the book, I **_**think**_** I did it justice…**

**Did you figure out what the un-clichéd part of this chapter was? At least… I think it was un-clichéd…**

**I hope you liked it… please review! :)**


	14. The Lake

**:) So… you guys seemed to like the last chapter… thanks to: rowellylovesgryffindor, Adora81, ForeverTeamEdward13 and Oogie for your reviews. You people are immense.**

**So, I was thinking of doing a short filler chapter in here, but all my ideas seemed crap and just didn't fit into the story, so I just skipped straight forward to the Second Task…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anyone other then Mia :)**

**Oh yeah… and I hope I do the Second Task justice…**

Chapter 15: The Lake

"Where d'ya reckon he is?" Mia asked. Down on the bank, Fleur Delacour, Cedric Diggory and Viktor Krum were standing side-by-side. Harry was no where to be seen. Hermione and Ron hadn't turned after they'd taken them down to McGonagall's office the previous night, either. Her eyes skimmed the surface of the lake. She had a feeling they were down there. Under water. _Deep_. Fred and George seemed to have the same feeling as well, because they, to, were eyeing the lake suspiciously. Mia thought they might slightly regret helping out McGonagall last night.

"There he is!" Seamus Finnigan, who was standing in the row in front of them with Dean Thomas, shouted, pointing to the other side of the lake. Sure enough, Mia could see Harry sprint towards them, circling the lake and stopping in front of the judges.

Bagman started fussing over him and Harry finally joined the end of the line, next to Krum.

"Well, all our champions are ready for the second task," Bagman shouted, his voice echoing around the stands, "which will start on my whistle. They have precisely an hour to recover what has been taken from them. On the count of three, then. One... two... three!" a whistle blew and everyone in the stands screamed and cheered.

"C'mon, Harry!" Mia yelled, "Beat their foreign asses!"

"Cedric's not foreign, Mia," Fred stated. Mia paused a second, trying to figure out how to react to the statement.

"He's a Hufflepuff, he counts a foreign ass," she replied, before shouting down at the champions, "Let's go, Harry! Show 'em what ya made of!"

Harry pulled off his shoes and socks and shoved something in his mouth and waded into the cold, black water. Krum ran out into the water, splashing, and diving in as soon as it was deep enough. Fleur and Cedric seemed to be doing the same thing as each other, pointing their wands to their face and murmuring something as they slowly walked into the lake. Fleur hesitated as soon as she put one foot in, and started muttering something as she waded in deeper. Mia was sure she was complaining about the cold.

"What the hell is he doing?" Seamus asked in front of them. Mia looked at him, some people around the stands started laughing. He was the only champion left, and he wasn't doing anything.

"C'mon, Harry! At least beat that fucking French princess!" Mia yelled. She wasn't sure if he could hear her, but a few Beauxbatons students near them looked over at her with an offended expression.

Down in the lake, Harry staggered a bit, his hands holding onto his throat. Suddenly, he threw himself into the water. And he didn't emerge.

"Is he alright?" Mia asked, leaning over the barrier.

"I dunno," Dean said, "he just… he looked like he couldn't _breath_!"

"He'd better beat that fucking French princess," Mia muttered, as she stood up straight again

"How long did Bagman say they had earlier?" Mia asked.

"An hour to get down there, get whatever they've 'lost' and get back up," Fred replied.

"And… how long have they _been_ down there?" Mia asked. George looked down at his watch.

"Half an hour," he said, before looking back to the lake. They'd deny it later, but Fred and George were worried. They were nearly one hundred percent sure that Ron was the thing Harry had 'lost'. They were worried about what would happen if Harry didn't get back to the surface in time with him.

Suddenly, Fleur emerged from the water, dragging herself up onto the bank. Her limbs were bleeding and there was dirt in her wet hair. She was grabbed by Madame Maxime, who started talking to her quickly.

"Isn't she supposed to have someone with her?" Mia asked, watching the scene. Madam Pomfrey came running over, trying to heal Fleur's limbs, but she was fighting too much. She ripped away from Madame Maxime, going back towards the water, but she was stopped by her headmistress, who had grabbed her shoulders, telling her something softly.

Fleur started to struggling, trying to get back to the water. "_Non, non! Ma soeur! Ma soeur!_" she was shouting, shrilly. Madame Maxime kept talking to her softly, and within five minutes, Fleur had slumped her shoulders and stopped struggling. But she wouldn't move from the edge of the lake.

"What's a _ma soeur_?" Mia asked, looking at Fleur, who was gripping the edge of the towel around her body.

"She was saying 'no, no, my sister, my sister'," said Dean.

"No, she wasn't, she was saying '_non, non, ma soeur, ma soeur_'," she told him.

"That _means_ 'no, no, my sister, my sister' in French," Dean told her. Mia opened her mouth in an 'O' shape, before hitting Fred's chest when he started to laugh.

"Exactly an hour," George said after a while, looking at his watch.

"And the only person who's back didn't come back with her hostage," Mia finished. Suddenly, the crowed erupted into cheers. Mia flung herself over the barrier, leaning over to see who had come back to the surface.

"And here is Mr Diggory! Very impressive, only one minute outside the time limit. _And_ with his hostage, Miss Cho Chang!" Bagman was yelling. Mia clapped slowly and sarcastically, glowering at Cedric. "I bet he hexed Harry or something," she muttered. Fleur rushed over to him, asking him something. Cedric just shook his head, saying something as he shrugged, pointed to the lake, and smiled apologetically. Fleur ran back to the bank, waiting and shivering.

Another half hour passed. A shark jumped up onto the bank. Or, at least, it was a shark's head with Viktor Krum's body… Mia stared at it, mouth slightly open. "What the fuck?" she said. The shark head morphed back into Krum's face, and he bent down to speak to a spluttering Hermione. "What the _fuck_? _Hermione's_ his hostage? I mean, no offence to her or anything, but I thought they just went to the Ball together?" Mia yelled over the applause. The twins shrugged, and Dean and Seamus were yelling out the same sort of things Mia was.

More time passed, and soon, Harry had been under-water for just over two hours. "I'm telling you, if Harry doesn't get back up here soon with a living, breathing Ronald…"

"Don't worry, Fred, they'll both be fine!" Mia reassured him.

"Better be," George muttered.

"They _will_ be!" Mia said. Later, Fred and George would deny this conversation ever happened.

"WOO! GO, HARRY!" Mia suddenly yelled, causing Fred and George to jump. They looked towards the lake and cheered along with everyone else. Yes, Harry had just come back to the surface with Ron. And a little blonde girl…

"WOO! HARRY!" Mia was yelling.

"Who's the blonde girl?" George asked.

"Looks like a mini Fleur," Mia stated, "yep… I think it _is_ a mini Fleur…"

Harry, Ron and Mini-Fleur swam towards the bank, and a group of people with green skin emerged from the water, screeching. "What the hell are they?" Mia asked.

"Mmm… merpeople?" George said. Mia looked up at him.

"You mean, like mermaids?"

"Yeah," he replied.

"You mean… they're _real_?" Mia asked.

"Yep," Mia just looked back to the merpeople, then to back to the scene below.

Percy was fussing over Ron. Fleur was hugging Mini-Fleur. Hermione was smothering Harry. Fleur went over to Harry and said something to him, kissing him on both cheeks. Mia laughed, and laughed harder when she did the same to Ron. "Oh, dear," she gasped, "you're never going to give him peace about that," she said.

"Nope!" Fred replied.

"Ha! Fleur and Ronald, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she sang, quietly.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Bagman boomed, "we have reached our decision. Merchieftainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows..." he paused before giving out the scores.

"Fleur Delacour, though she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head Charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to retrieve her hostage. We award her twenty-five points." Mia clapped politely along with the rest of the crowd.

"Cedric Diggory," Bagman continued, "who also used the Bubble-Head Charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he returned one minute outside the time limit of an hour. We therefore award him forty-seven points." The Hufflepuffs erupted into cheers louder then anything. Mia just heaved a sigh a crossed her arms heavily on her chest.

Bagman went on, "Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was second to return with his hostage. We award him forty points." The Durmstrang students were applauding now.

"Harry Potter used gillyweed to great effect," Bagman continued. "He returned last, and well outside the time limit of an hour. However, the Merchieftainess informs us that Mr. Potter was first to reach the hostages, and that the delay in his return was due to his determination to return all hostages to safety, not merely his own."

"Yeah, yeah… put some fucking French princess' sister before your own school winning!" Mia sighed.

"Most of the judges," Mia saw Bagman look back to a smirking Karkaroff, "feel that this shows moral fibre and merits full marks. However... Mr. Potter's score is forty-five points."

Mia's mouth fell open. Then she grinned wildly, yelling, "YEAH! GO HARRY! YOU BEAT THEIR FOREIGN ASSES!" as Fred opened his mouth, she held up her hand, "he's in Hufflepuff, he counts as foreign."

Bagman finally finished up with, "The third and final task will take place at dusk on the twenty-fourth of June. The champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the champions."

Mia, Fred and George cheered along with everyone else. In front of them, Dean and Seamus were punching the air. "WOO!" Mia shouted, dancing slightly, "WE ARE GUNNA WIN THIS THING!"

Back in the common room, food from the kitchens was all over the tables and people were screaming and congratulating Harry, wanting to hear tails of battles with merpeople from Ron, and teasing Hermione about being 'the thing Viktor Krum would miss most'. While Ron was in the middle or re-telling the story of what happened in the lake (which seemed to have become much more exciting then when he'd explained it to Mia) to a bunch of third year girls, Mia walked up to him and ruffled his hair, laughing as he turned a bright shade of red and the third year girls started giggling. He tried to carry on his story.

"Anyway, there I was, surrounded by all these merpeople-"

"Awwww, did you get kidnapped by Arial and Flounder, Ron?" Mia asked in a baby voice. One of the third year girls understood her joke and shrieked with laughter. Hermione, who was just a little bit away, laughed as well.

"What?" Ron said, not understanding her at all.

"Don't worry," she replied, laughing and winking at Hermione quickly.

**Okie dokie… so… there was the Second Task… I think it turned out alright…**

_**Annnnnnnnd**_**… guess what? We are just a few chapters away from the scene you all want to read! The scene you've all been waiting for! I won't tell you exactly **_**how many**_** chapters, but know that it's coming soon!**

**So, please review, and we'll get to that chapter even quicker!**


	15. Feet and Fists

**Okie dokie, I'm back and blaring!**

**Thanks to:****Adora81, rowellylovesgryffindor, Oogie and ForeverTeamEdward13 for reviewing!**

**And I get that this chapter is just an ickle bit short… but oh well! And this chapter is probably set in… April? Yeah, probably 'bout half way through April.**

**And, to honest, I was kinda in two minds about part of this chapter… but if I tell you now, it might ruin it, so I'll tell you at the end.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, just Mia**

Chapter 16: Feet and Fists

"Uh! Is that a challenge?"

"Challenges are meant to be hard."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Means you got short legs."

"I do not have short legs!" Mia shrieked, throwing a cushion at Fred. Her, George, Angelina and Fred were sitting in the common room during their free period. George and Angelina just watched the argument with amusement.

"And I bet I'm faster then you, as well!" Mia continued, pointing at Fred.

"You couldn't be faster then me!" Fred replied.

"Why not?"

"Quidditch," he replied, simply. Mia just looked at him blankly for a second.

"What's Quidditch got to do with running?" she asked.

"Gotta have strong legs to play Quidditch," George said.

"You _sit_ on a broom!" Mia told him.

"And how do you reckon we keep the broom up in the sky whilst flying around and hitting Bludgers around?" Fred asked, "Strong legs muscles," he answered his own question. Mia let out a short laugh.

"You? _Strong leg muscles_? _You_? You have _got_ to kidding me," she replied, crossing her arms.

"Alright then, why don't we settle this?" Fred asked, standing up, "once and for all?"

"You're on." Mia stood up as well, "and you're coming too, Mr Gotta-Have-Strong-Leg-Muscles!" she said, turning to George, then she looked at Angelina, "and, Angie, we need a ref."

They ended up standing under a tree by the lake, with Mia and Fred standing next to each other. Mia quickly plaited her hair. "Right… George, go stand somewhere so you're not in the way… so if we run about a hundred metres… Angie, go stand over there… no! Too far, come closer… stop! Right there! Perfect!" Mia said. A hundred metres away, Angelina rolled her eyes. They all stood there for a minute.

"Well say go!" Mia yelled.

"Oh… um… go!" Mia and Fred took off running. They skidded to a stop just past Angelina, who had covered her head slightly as Fred passed within a centimetre of her. "So who won?" Mia asked.

"Um… Fred…"

"WOO! Told ya I was faster."

"Best two outta three!" Mia yelled.

"Fine. I'll only beat you again." They stood by the tree again. Angelina opened her mouth to say 'go', when Mia yelled out, "WAIT!"

"What?" Fred asked, irritated. Mia bent down and undid the laces on her five inch boots, slipping them off and throwing them over to where George was standing. "Right, ready!"

"Go!" Angelina shouted. Again, Mia and Fred shot off, stopping at Angelina again.

"Mia won," she said.

"BOOYAH!" Mia yelled, punching the air.

"I demand a re-match!" Fred yelled.

"Duh, its best two outta three!" for the final time, they stood together by the tree, and Angelina called out 'go'. They shot off again, stopping by Angelina. Mia almost fell over. She hit Fred around the head when he laughed and Angelina told them who won.

"Fred-"

"HA!" he yelled. "See, Quidditch equals amazing leg muscles which equals being faster then you!" he gloated.

"Alright, alright!" she stormed off and picked up her shoes. "He blatantly cheated," she muttered to George.

"Oh, yeah, blatantly," he replied, holding back a laugh.

"Can we go now? I'm bored and we have Potions in ten minutes," Angelina said.

"Alright, I only wanted to prove I was faster then Mia." Fred shrugged. Mia stuck her tongue out at him.

As they were walking back to the castle, they saw a group of Slytherins coming towards them. "You know, before I came here, I used to like the colour green… now I absolutely hate it," Mia said.

"Understandable," George said, slinging his arm around her shoulders. As they passed the group of Slytherins, one of the girls shrieked with laughter. Mia, George, Angelina and Fred looked back at them.

"Nice jeans!" the girl said, whom Mia recognised was in her Potions lesson. Mia looked down at her skinny, ripped jeans. To be honest, half the rips probably hadn't bee there when she'd first brought them.

"Nice hair!" she retorted. The girl's hand instantly went to her short, black, slightly greasy hair.

"Did you just insult me?" great, a Slytherin with an anger problem.

"Yep," Mia replied. Both groups had stopped moving by now.

"And what do you think gives you the right to insult me?" the girl asked. Mia slid out from under George's arm and took a step towards her.

"What gives _you_ the right to insult _me_?" she asked. One of the other Slytherins gave a cough that sounded like 'mudblood'. Mia looked at him and placed her hands on her hips, raising her eyebrows and popping her hip out.

"Excuse me?" she said. Fred and George slowly came up behind her.

"Um… guys…" Angelina said behind them. Nobody paid any attention to her.

"Oh, I'm sure you heard me," he said, standing next to the girl.

"Guys…" Angelina said. Again, no one paid her any attention. Mia just looked at the boy, and he took this as an opportunity to say it again. As if talking to a three year old, he went "_Mudbl-_" he never got a chance to finish the word. George's fist came smashing into his face.

"Damn! _I_ wanted to do that!" Mia complained quietly.

"Guys!" Angelina whispered as a shadow fell over her. Mia and the twins turned to see Snape standing behind them.

"Mr Weasley…" he said in a cold voice, "I believe it is against the rules to attack another student…come with me," he turned and walked back towards the castle. Behind them, the Slytherins started to snigger.

George glanced at Fred, who grimaced, before slowly following Snape.

"We have him next, as well! He'll be in a _really_ bad mood," Angelina complained.

"Unlucky," Mia replied.

"What? You have him to!"

"Nope. I'm finding out how this ends." Mia and Fred started back for the castle, just as George slipped through the double doors in front of them. Not wanting to be left alone with the Slytherins, Angelina quickly followed them.

They parted at the dungeons (with Angelina failing to convince Mia not to skive off) and Mia and Fred trailed George and Snape up to McGonagall's office. They waited outside for about ten minutes, before ducking behind a suit of armour as Snape came out. George followed seconds later, scowling.

"What happened?" Mia asked, making George jump as she popped up from behind the armour.

"Got a big lecture on how it's wrong to attack other students, even if they do insult someone…"

"_And_?" Fred asked, sensing there was something more.

"I'm missing the next Hogsmeade trip," George said, sullenly.

"What?" Mia almost yelled, "But that's in two days!"

"I know…"

"Damn!" Mia said, looking at him sympathetically.

**Ok, so the scene I was in two minds about was the scene with the Slytherins… but then today my mate, who's actually re-reading the entire Harry potter series, brought Chamber of Secrets in and I was flicking through it in Maths, and I came across the scene where Malfoy calls Hermione a Mudblood. In that bit, Fred and George go to attack him. So I thought: if they go to attack Malfoy cuz he insulted Hermione, who they'd only known for just over year at that point, what would they do if someone insulted Mia in the same way? Somebody they've known for six years, and someone who George fancies? So I used it. Hope its ok…**

**So… please review!**


	16. The Grounds

**Ok, so… I'm sorry the last chapter was a lil' short… but this one'll make up for it!**

**Thanks to: rowellylovesgryffindor, Adora81, ForeverTeamEdward13, Oogie, Sam (x2), the anonyms reviewer, who didn't leave their name and Kukaburry (x2) for your reviews. And, Sam, I changed the spelling… I can't **_**believe**_** I got that wrong!**

**Disclaimer: Who do I own? Mia! Yup… just her…**

Chapter 17: The Grounds

The morning of the Hogsmeade trip, George slowly trudged downstairs, the voices of shrieking first and second years flowing up to him. He groaned as he heard a girl laugh shrilly. He stepped off the last stair and ran his hand through his hair, thinking of how he would pass the day. Alone. Instead of being in Hogsmeade.

His eyes skimmed the room, taking in the group of first year girls giggling over a copy of Witch Weekly, there was a couple of second year boys doing some homework and a group of kids playing Gobstones by the fire. And then his eyes stopped moving.

Curled up in a chair, dressed in a tight black tank-top and light blue skinny jeans, with the boots Katie had gotten her for her birthday lying on the floor in front of the chair, was Mia. She was flicking through _Medicine Magic: a Guide to the World of Magical Medicine_, and chewing on a peace of toast from the stack sitting on the table in front of her.

She looked up as he walked towards her and smiled. "Finally," she said, "though I was gunna be stuck in here with this lot," she gestured to the first and second years, "all day."

"Why aren't you in Hogsmeade?" George asked.

"Why are you complaining? Thought I'd give ya some company. Tried to get Fred to stay as well, but he wouldn't, said he'd bring us back some stuff though," she told him, then pointed to the stack of toast, "I brought you breakfast! Even though I ate a couple slices… most of it's still there!"

"…Thanks… but you shoulda gone…" he said, pulling up a chair and sitting down, taking a bit of toast.

"Meh," Mia shrugged, "'sides, you don't look that bad if your alone in Hogsmeade, and he'll probably meet up with Angelina, Alicia and Katie anyway. But when you're alone _here_… well, you just look like a downer." George just took another bite of his toast.

When there was one slice of toast left, Mia picked it up off the plate and ripped it in half, handing one half to George and taking a bite out of the other and standing up. "Right, lets go somewhere, I don't wanna be stuck in here all day," she said, slipping on her boots. George rolled her eyes and followed her out of the common room.

"Shouldn't you children be out in Hogsmeade?" the Fat Lady called to them as they went down the hallway. They didn't answer and turned a corner.

"Right… so where are we going?" George asked.

"Well, weather's nice outside, so let's go there!" she said brightly.

They ended up under a tree in the far part of the grounds, with Mia looking up into its leaves. "How many trees have we climbed, George?" she asked.

"Five," he replied, absentmindedly. She looked at him.

"Oh, c'mon! We've climbed more then _five_!" she said, placing her hands on her hips.

"No, we've _climbed trees_ more then five times, we always climb the same ones."

"Have we climbed this one?" George looked at the tree, and then shrugged.

"Don't think so," he replied. Mia smiled and hoisted herself up onto the tree, pulling herself up. As she reached the first branches, she looked back down to see George pulling himself up after her.

"George, stop looking at my ass!" she said as she swung up onto another branch.

"Oh, and you think I enjoy this view?" he replied teasingly.

"You love it and you know it."

"Yeah, you're right… it is a nice view," he replied.

"UH!" she screeched, looking back down at him indignantly.

"Would you rather me say you have a nice ass or a horrible one?" he asked. She blinked down at him for a moment, before sticking her tongue out and hauling herself up onto the last branch, sitting down on it and swinging her legs as George climbed up next to her.

"Ooooo!"

"What?" George asked.

"I can see the Durmstrang ship from here!" she pointed to the ship.

"Mia, you could see it from the ground!"

"Yeah, but it's always better to see things from the tops of trees," she replied, and George just rolled his eyes.

They sat up there for another five minutes, before Mia said, "Is it just me, or does that cloud look like a fish?"

"Um…" George looked up to wear she was pointing, "I guess?"

"Oh, well you're a lot of help, aren't y- AHH!" she yelled, as she almost fell off the branch. She clenched a fist over the branch next to her and George grabbed onto her other arm. Breathing heavily and eyes wider then normal, she slowly sat up, "I think imma get down now… before I die…" she slowly climbed back down the tree. As George started to follow her down, she grinned.

"So what would _you_ rather me say?" she asked.

"Huh?" he looked down at her.

"Weather you've got a nice ass or a horrible one," she said. George pretended to think for a minute.

"Well, I think you'd have to tell the truth, seeing as we both know you can't resist my ass," he replied.

"Always so sure of yourself," she teased.

Finally, with their feet firmly on the ground, Mia hummed. "So… we've killed 'bout half an hour… what do we do know?"

Checking his watch, George replied with, "it's half eleven…"

"I didn't ask what time it was."

"Ok, so it'll be lunch in half an hour, why don't we go to the Great Hall? Is that what you asked for?"

"Yes it was and great suggestion!" Mia replied.

As they walked through the courtyard, their conversation fell silent, and George looked down at her. He'd known her for six years, and liked her for three of them. She was half a step in front of him. Fred had figured it out after a couple of months, and teased him ever since. Since Angelina had found out, they'd been plotting together. She was one step in front of him now. There had been so many opportunities, and but he had failed to catch at least of them. One and a half steps in front if him.

He grabbed her wrist, tugging it slightly. She turned around to face him, and he caught her other wrist with his free hand. Their eyes locked, light brown onto dark brown and Mia's stomach flipped. George's hands slipped off her fingers and fell lightly onto her waist as he swallowed.

George saw her eyes drop to his hands, and when she placed hers own over his, he thought she was going to lift them off, but she didn't. Instead, she slowly ran her hands up his arms, her eyes following them, relishing the feeling of dancing fire between their skin.

Mia lifted her eyes back to George's as her hands rested on his shoulders, her thumb lightly brushing the skin just above his collar. She licked her lips nervously. Why did she have to _do that_? It really didn't help him in any way.

They stood there for a few seconds, though it seemed longer. In the still, silent courtyard, time didn't seem to exist, and even if it did, it was so slow nobody bothered to acknowledge it. There was no sound, except their breathing. There was no movement, except their slightly shaking hands.

George moved his head slowly towards hers, but he hesitated just before their lips touched. She hadn't pulled away yet, right? Why would she do it now? George drew in a breath just before he closed the space between their lips.

Mia's heartbeat picked up speed, flying in her chest. She leaned forward, sliding her hands around his neck, thumb drawing circles just above his spine. George smiled into the kiss, slipping his arms around her and interlocking his fingers, gently pulling her towards him, so she could feel his heart beating as heavy as hers.

George pulled away, and both of them breathed in deeply. George smiled, happy and relived. He pecked her lips, again and again, and each time, flames burned between them and in their stomachs. Every time he kissed her, it lasted a little longer.

He lifted one of his hands from around her and ran it through her hair, twisting the ends around his fingers. He did again and again, and then rested his hand gently on her cheek, feeling the heat of her skin flare even more, or it could have just been his imagination.

For once, their moment wasn't interrupted. No one ran in on them, and they didn't jump guiltily apart. It was just Mia and George, in their small, timeless corner of the courtyard…

**:) Please review**


	17. The Couple and The Letter

**So… a lot of you seemed to enjoy the last chapter :)**

**And here I thank my amazing reviewers: Adora81, Oogie, Kukaburry, LoverPR-SN-HP, ForeverTeamEdward13, the anonymous reviewer who didn't leave their name, rowellylovesgryffindor and TigrisDeo!**

**So, let us just recap the last chapter… mainly cuz I just wanna say to say it… Mia and George finally kissed! Woo! Sorry, I just wanted to say it…**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter… but I **_**do**_** own Mia**

**And… I made up the spell **_**vertosus**_

**So… this chapter skips forward a couple weeks… **

Chapter 18: The Couple and The Letter

"Can you two stop being all lovey-dovey yet?"

"To stop being something, you actually have to be it in the first place."

"I don't really want to know what you two do."

"I think it's sweet."

"You would, Angelina," Fred said. They were sitting at the Gryffindor table eating breakfast.

"After all you're teasing and plotting…" Mia said, "You regret it now, don't you?" she joked.

A couple of weeks previously, when Fred, Angelina, Alicia and Katie had gotten back from Hogsmeade, Mia and George hadn't been in the common room, so they went looking for them. When Katie had passed the courtyard, she had screamed with a mixture of delight and shock to see the two kissing. For the next two weeks, Mia and George had had to endure teasing and having the mick taken out of them.

"Part of me does," Fred said, "but, of course, all our plotting worked."

"Right… so… you _plotted_ for me to stay behind during the Hogsmeade trip?" George scoffed.

"Well… no… but… oh, shut up!" the girls burst out laughing.

"What have we got first?" Mia asked, pushing her empty cereal bowl away.

"Erm… transfiguration?" Fred offered. Mia thought for a moment.

"Mmm… yeah. Yep, makes sense," Mia replied. "right, let's go, then, boys," she stood up.

"What? But I'm still eating!" Fred held up his toast.

"Finish it on the way," Mia shrugged.

"But the bell ain't even go-" _brrrring!_ Mia smiled smugly.

In the transfiguration class room, everyone was staring down at the pigs squealing on their tables. Mia was twizzling her wand with one hand and fiddling with her rose necklace with the other. Fred and George were just looking at the pigs open mouthed.

"let me get this straight… we have to turn _this_," Mia pointed at the pig, that was now trying to eat her quill, "into a_ mouse_ and then back again?"

"Yep," George said, pushing his pig away as it went to eat his tie.

"So, that means that we have to… give it fur, make it smaller, give it a long tail, make it squeak instead of oink… all at the same time?" she asked.

"Yep," George pushed the pig away again.

"And then we have to take away the fur, make it bigger, shrink its tail and make it go oink instead of squeak?"

"Yep…" he pushed the pig away. Again.

"Um… ok… um…" Mia pointed her wand at the pig, "_Vertosus_," the pig, which had been walking along the edge of the table, fell onto the floor with a thud. Mia, Fred and George looked at it and Mia slid out of her chair, crouching down. "Professor!" she called, standing up. From the front of the classroom, McGonagall looked up at her. "I think I killed my pig." Mia said in a bored voice. McGonagall stood up and hurried over to her, looking down at the pig.

"Ah… no, it is simply unconscious… however, there are no more pigs… perhaps if you observe Weasley until your pig awakens and we'll try again the next lesson." Mia nodded. As McGonagall walked away, Mia turned to the twins.

"Apparently I have to _observe you_," she said, mimicking McGonagall.

"Yes, Mia, we heard the first time," Fred said.

"Right… well, go on!" Mia motioned with her arm. Fred and George glanced at each other, then pointed their wands at their pigs.

"_Vertosus_." George's pig did nothing. Well, it went to eat his tie again, but nothing else. Fred's pig sprouted fur, turning into a kind of fat, fuzzy, squealing ball. "um…" Fred poked the pig with his wand and it squealed again. Mia started clapping sarcastically.

"Well done, Fred," she said in a tone to match her clapping.

"Why, thank you!" he said, choosing to ignore her mockery, half-bowing. Mia rolled her eyes and laughed.

By the end of the lesson, Mia's pig was still out cold and the only students that had managed to turn their pig fully into a mouse was two Ravenclaw students, both of whom left the room beaming.

Later that night, Mia, George, Angelina and Fred were sitting in the common room. They were the only ones in there, apart from a small group of third years in the furthest corner. Mia and George were sitting on one sofa, with George's arm around her waist and her head resting on his chest. Opposite them, Angelina was curled up in one corner of the sofa, with Fred sprawled over the rest of it.

"Fred… don't you have a detention tonight?" Angelina asked.

"Crap!" Fred leapt up and walked quickly towards the portrait hole, "see ya later!" he called before it swung shut.

They sat there for another five minutes, Angelina had spread out, one leg dangling off the edge of the sofa. George had started tracing circles on Mia's stomach, and she closed her eyes, sighing. Angelina started to get that 'third wheel' vibe. Smiling, she stood up and walked towards the staircase. "later, guys," she said.

"Later," Mia replied as she started up towards the girls' dormitory.

George stopped drawing circles on Mia's stomach and wrapped his arm around her again. Mia sat up suddenly and turned around so she was facing George. His lips quirked into a small smile and caught her arm, tugging her towards him as he leaned forward. Their lips touched and her hand ran through his hair as she shifted so she was kneeling. He brushed his hand up her arm until it came to rest of her shoulder. Their lips parted, but came beck together a second later.

"I would prefer it if you_ didn't_ do that whilst I was in the room," Mia and George jumped and looked up to see Ginny standing with her arms crossed, looking slightly irritated, but a small smile was playing on her face.

"Then leave the room," Mia replied, blushing but smiling.

"I was anyway," Ginny replied, before going over to the staircase, and disappearing up it.

A few days later, Mia was pulling on Fred's arm as he tried to get up the stairs leading to the Owlery. "You can't send that letter, Fred!" she yelled, pulling back harder and loosing her grip, falling backwards. George caught her and crossed his arms as soon as he let go, looking at his brother.

"Of course I can send the letter! I'm going to do it right now!" he started up the stairs.

"But it's _blackmail_! What if you get caught!" she ran up the stairs after him, George following her.

"I'm fed up of trailing Bagman 'round the school trying to get our money back!" Fred said.

"Listen, Fred," Mia said, grabbing for his arm again, but it slipped out of her hand, "I _know_ you're pissed off, but you. Can. Not. Send. That. Letter!"

"Yes I can!" Fred replied.

"Look, Mia's right…that's blackmail, that is, we could get into a lot of trouble for that," George said, brushing past Mia so he was right behind his brother.

"We've tried being polite," Fred said, twisting the letter around in his hand, "it's time to play dirty, like him. He wouldn't like the Ministry of Magic knowing what he did." Mia rolled her eyes and her footsteps got heavier as she climbed the stairs.

"I've told you, Fred, if you put that in writing. It. Is._ Blackmail_!" she said

"Yeah, and you won't be complaining if we get a nice fat payoff, will you?" Fred looked back at her.

"_I _didn't make the bet in first place!" she shrieked.

Fred pushed the Owlery door open and all three of them froze. Standing on the other side of the room was Harry, Ron and Hermione. And they had obviously heard every single word they had said.

"What're you doing here?" Ron and Fred said at the same time.

"Sending a letter," said Harry and George.

"What, at this time?" Mia said at the same time as Hermione.

Fred smiled easily as Mia licked her lips. "Fine- we won't ask you what you're doing, if you don't ask us," he said. "Well, don't let us hold you up," he continued, bowing slightly and pointing to the open door.

"Who're you blackmailing?" Ron asked. Fred stopped smiling and Mia licked her lips again

"Don't be stupid, I was only joking," George said.

"Didn't sound like that," Ron disagreed.

Fred and George looked again as Mia started to shuffle from foot to foot. "I've told you before, Ron," Fred started "keep your nose out if you like it the shape it is. Can't see why you would, but-"

"It's my business if you're blackmailing someone," said Ron. "George's right, you could end up in serious trouble for that."

"Told you, I was joking," said George. He took the letter off Fred and went to tie it to an owl's leg. Mia started to shake her head slowly. "You're starting to sound a bit like our dear older brother, you are, Ron. Carry on like this and you'll be made a prefect."

"No, I won't!" Ron fumed. George let the owl fly out of the window as Hermione turned to Mia.

"Do you know something about this?" she asked. Mia shuffled onto her left foot and licked her lips again.

"I… I have nothing to do with it," she replied.

"Then why're you up here?" Ron asked. Before she could answer, George cut in.

"Look, stop telling people what to do. See you later." He and Fred left the Owlery, and Mia looked at them. She glanced at the three fourth years before running out after them.

"I. Can. Not. _Believe_. You. Sent. That. Letter!" she stormed down to them and pushed past them, turning to face them. "Do you _know_ what kind of shit you're gunna get into if you're caught?" Fred crossed his arms.

"_If_ we get caught," he said. Mia just flicked her eyes from Fred, to George, back to Fred, then back to George. The she turned around and stormed down the stairs.

Fred and George glanced at each other before George ran after her. Down the corridor, she whipped around. "God, of you get caught…" she said.

"If we get caught, we're going to get into big trouble. I know." He said, brushing his thumb along her arm.

"I'm being _way_ too sensitive over this, aren't it?" she said. George just shrugged.

Fred poked his head around the corner, making sure Mia wasn't about to blow up. When he was sure she wasn't, he came around the corner, calling out, "Hey! Person here!"

Just to annoy Fred, Mia quickly pecked George on the lips, laughing as Fred feigned throwing up.

**So there we are. The first chapter with Mia and George as a couple…**

**The next chapter should be out soon… it'll probably be the Third Task… unless I come up with another ingenious idea…**

**Oh… and about the pigs… that kinda come outta nowhere… actually, it happened after my mate said something about pigs and it just kinda… appeared in my mind… don't ask…**

**So, please review!**


	18. The Maze

**Hellooooo! Here I am with chapter 19!**

**Thanks to: Adora81, ForeverTeamEdward13, Oogie and the anonymous reviewer who didn't leave their name… you guys are immense for reviewing!**

**Right, so this chapter doesn't actually start on the day of the Third Task, there's a little bit before it, but the majority of the chapter is about the Third Task…**

**And this'll be another one of my time skippy chapters… but most of it'll be on the same day, just skipping hours.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone but Mia!**

**And the long, thin, blue centipede-like creature is my own creation. It has no name.**

Chapter 19: The Maze

For the next few weeks, Bagman seemed to be around every corner. And he had definitely gotten the letter. Whenever he was eating at the staff table during meals, he always seemed to be sending nervous glances at them. They ran into him once, on a Hogsmeade trip, and he had quickly departed, face going slightly pale.

"Honestly, you two are lucky he didn't do you in," Mia said, leaning over the table as they ate breakfast.

"He wouldn't do us in; then he'd have to show the Ministry the letter," Fred said.

"Hm, oh! Let's see! Not paying two _underage_ wizards after they made a bet," she held up one hand, "or blackmail," she held up the other, "not paying two underage wizards… or _blackmail_! I wonder what's a more serious crime!" she finished.

"Well, considering he _did_ pay us-"

"In Leprechaun Gold!" George butted in.

"-in Leprechaun gold, then he _refused_ to give us our money back!" Fred said.

"Just hope he doesn't decide to do something," Mia said.

"He looks like he's about to throw up," Mia commented on the morning of the Third Task, looking down the table to Harry. He had just finished reading an article in the Daily Prophet. "What d'ya reckon it's about?" Fred asked.

"What?"

"The news paper article." Mia shrugged, and then saw a first year placing a copy down next to him.

"Thanks," she said as she snatched it up. The first year just looked at her astonished. She read through the paper, her mouth dropping a few millimetres every paragraph.

"_Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a duelling club and set a snake on another boy._

"Oh for fuck's sake!" she exclaimed, "'Set a snake on another boy' my ass! If it wasn't for Harry, this school'd be closed and I'd still be a god forsaken statue!" she threw the paper at the twins, who read through it. Shaking her head, she went back to eating her breakfast.

"Mia?" Angelina said coming up behind her.

"Mmm?"

"Potions Exam! Two minutes!"

"Ah, crap!" Mia shot up, "see ya later, guys!" she called, running after Angelina.

As they skidded into the dungeons, Snape looked up. "Cutting it very fine, aren't we?" he said coldly, then standing up, he said, "the Draft of Living Death. You have the remainder of the lesson to create a flask of it _from memory_. You should have learned the recipe from your previous homework. You may start." Snape sat down and Mia blinked for a minute, staring at her empty cauldron.

She managed to get through it by copying Angelina, though Angelina's potion was as clear as clear could be, Mia's looked a bit more like dirty sea water… but Snape declared she had passed. Just. "Honestly, I don't know how I got an Outstanding last year…" she said as she came up out of the dungeon.

"You buckled down and studied and stopped spending so much time with Fred and George!" Angelina told her.

"Yeah, but that was so _boring_!" Mia complained. Angelina just rolled her eyes.

Mia, Fred and George walked along to Great Hall at lunch. "Guys!" they turned around and saw Ginny jogging up to them, "did you know Mum's here?" she said.

"No," George answered.

"How do you know?" asked Fred. Ginny caught up with them and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Saw them coming out of the Great Hall at breakfast. Apparently all the champions' families have been invited to watch the last task. Bill's here with her, too, see!" they entered the Great hall and Ginny pointed to the Gryffindor table, where Mrs Weasley and Bill were sitting with Harry and Ron.

"Hiya, Mrs Weasley. Bill," Mia said as they sat down.

"Hello, dears," Mrs Weasley said, smiling.

"You alright, Harry? You look a bit… green" Mia said as she stabbed a bit of ham with her fork.

"Do I?" he asked. Mia nodded as Ron leaned over the table towards her.

"That's probably not helping."

"Right. Sorry." Mia smiled at Harry before going back to her lunch.

After about fifteen minutes, Mrs Weasley started eyeing Mia and George. "So, I got a letter the other week about…" she trailed off and pointed to the two of them. Mia stopped eating for a second and a small amount of pink crawled up her neck. That seemed to be enough for Mrs Weasley and she just smiled, while Fred tried to hide a laugh.

About half way through lunch, Hermione turned up, sitting down next to Harry. "Hello, Hermione," said Mrs Weasley, the slightest hint of coldness in her tone.

"Hello," Hermione replied, a bit meekly. Mia's eyebrows creased, and she looked from Mrs Weasley, to Hermione and back again.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry said, "you didn't believe that rubbish Rita Skeeter wrote in Witch Weekly, did you? Because Hermione's not my girlfriend." Mia looked up at George, who just shrugged, so she looked at Fred… who also shrugged.

"GOOD LUCK, HARRY!" Mia yelled along with the Weasley's and Hermione as he exited the Great Hall after dinner.

"Does he still look like he's about to throw up?" Fred asked.

"Yep," Mia replied, then added, "Poor kid."

Finally, Mia, Hermione and the Weasley's had filed into the stand, with Mrs Weasley, Ron and Hermione in front of Mia, George, Fred and Bill. They were in the stands around the Quidditch pitch, only… it wasn't the Quidditch pitch anymore, it was a maze. One, green, massive maze. And in the middle was the Triwizard Cup. Once everyone was finally settled in the stands, Bagman's voice echoed around them.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each- Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School" every Hogwarts student started to cheer.

"WOO! BEAT DIGGORY'S ASS, HARRY!" Mia yelled.

"In second place, with eighty points- Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!"

"Whose gunna get his ass beaten by Harry," Mia shouted.

"And in third place- Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

"Who, once again, is going to get her ass beaten by Harry!" down below, Harry waved at them, and they all waved back. Mia stuck up her thumbs up at him and he grinned a bit. Just a bit. He still looked like he was about to throw up.

"So ...on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" Bagman said. "Three- two- one-" a shrill whistle sounded and Harry and Cedric entered the maze.

"C'MON, HARRY!" Fred bellowed. They watched as Harry and Cedric parted at a fork, and Bagman blew his whistle again. Krum entered. Finally, Fleur followed. Mia's eyes flicked between all the champions.

For a while, the champions just wandered around in the maze, but the spectators could see what kind of beasts were waiting for them. Such as a massive scorpion type thing that Cedric ran into. He managed to get away without too many injuries (much to Mia's disappointment) and crossed paths with Harry briefly.

Mia's eyes drifted to Fleur, who seemed to be in some kind of small battle with a long, thin, blue centipede-like creature. She got away, but not before the creature managed to spit some kind of poison at her.

George slipped his arm around her waist and she leaned into him, still watching the task (Harry had just defeated a Boggart). Next to them, Fred started whisper something to Bill. Mia caught the words 'soppy' and 'lovey-dovey'. Mia leaned over and hit him over the head, then settled back into George.

Suddenly, a scream broke through the noise o shouting students, and everyone looked towards the maze. Fleur Delacour had obviously met something she couldn't handle. "Damn, if _she's_ that bad, I hate to think how bad the other Beauxbatons students are! She's meant to be the best! Couldn't get pass the grindylows, can't get through a maze…" Mia mused.

"It's not funny, Mia," Hermione said, "She could be dead!"

"Oh, I'm sure she's fine," Mia replied.

Suddenly, Krum turned around, seemingly abandoning the route he was taking. He backtracked until he met Cedric. "YES!" Mia yelled.

"What?" Fred asked.

"He was three left turns away from the Cup! He's moving away from i-" she faltered when Cedric convulsed, then fell onto the floor, yelling and twitching. "OH MY GOD!" Mia shrieked. She leaned forward over the barrier, her head coming level with Mrs Weasley's. George grabbed onto her hips to stop her from falling. Down in the maze, Harry came racing around a corner, Stunning Krum and helping Cedric to his feet.

Mia slowly stood up, eyes wide, and she said, "that… but that… that was illegal!" she yelled. Cedric shot up some red sparks and soon, he and Harry parted.

The people in the stands watched as Harry came up against a Sphinx, where as Cedric just wandered aimlessly around the maze. "c'mon, Harry," Mia muttered, "the Cup's right there. _Right there_! Get past the Sphinx! C'mon Harry!" she had started fiddling with her necklace again, and George's arm tightened around her.

Finally, the Sphinx let Harry pass, and now he and Cedric were both so close to the shining Cup in the middle of the maze. They both started running. Cedric was in front of Harry. "No, no, no! Beat his effing Hufflepuff ass, Harry! C'mon," Mia was moaning. If Cedric won, Mia would personally make sure that Harry felt guilty about him for the rest of his life.

Suddenly, a massive, black, hairy spider collided with Cedric. In front of them, Ron grimaced, and flinched when the spider lifted Harry up. After minutes of both Harry and Cedric sending spell after spell at it, two spells hit the spider's under-belly, making it keel over. Mia breathed a sigh of relief. Harry was alive. Unfortunately, Cedric was in better shape.

Everybody watched in dismay as Cedric didn't even take one step towards the Cup. Instead, he walked _back_ to Harry. Then he helped him up, and together, they both walked (well, Harry limped) towards the Cup. They paused for a second, before, at exactly the same time, they grabbed the handles.

And disappeared.

The crowd seemed to fall silent. Only a few whispers passed. Mrs Weasley was the first to speak, "Well, where are they?" there was the slightest note of panic. The crowd exploded. People shouted over each other, asking the same sort of questions. 'Where are they?' 'What happened?' 'Where did they go?' Down at the bottom of the stands, Dumbledore and Cornelius Fudge were conversing quietly. After a few minutes, Dumbledore faced the spectators.

"We have decided that Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, Professor Moody, and Professor Hagrid will enter the maze and search for Mr Potter and Mr Diggory." The professors nodded and entered the maze.

"But… Harry and Cedric ain't gunna be in the maze!" Mia shrieked over the noise of the crowd.

"They need to do _something _constructive!" Hermione replied.

After about five minutes, Dumbledore offered for the spectators to leave and return to the castle, but nobody moved from their place.

Moody, McGonagall, Flitwick and Hagrid finished searching the maze with no sign of Harry or Cedric. Mia licked her lips and started to fiddle with her necklace again. George wrapped both his arms around her, pulling her closer.

"Hey! Where's he going?" Mia pointed to Karkaroff, who was sliding away through the gap between two stands. He was clutching his arm and his skin had gone pale. Ron shrugged, muttering something under his breath that Mia didn't catch.

They waited for what seemed like all night, but the stars didn't disappear, and the sun didn't come up. They waited and Mia started to wonder when they would have to leave. What if Harry never came back? They'd have to leave at some point. What if Harry never came back? They waited. In the first few rows of the stands, Mia saw that Fleur's sister had fallen asleep and was lying across her mother's lap. They waited until-

Harry seemed to appear for nowhere, slamming into the ground, lying face down, clutching onto the Cup and… Cedric Diggory. Who wasn't moving. Noise erupted around them. Screams and shouts and running footsteps.

"Oh my god, I think he's dead!" Mia cried.

People in the stands were slowly flooding out, crowding around Harry, Dumbledore, Fudge, the Cup and Cedric's body. Mia, George, Fred, Bill, Mrs Weasley, Hermione and Ron among them.

Dumbledore yanked Harry up, who let go of the Cup, but not Cedric. Harry whispered something to Dumbledore, no one could hear them over the noise of the crowd. Fudge crouched over Harry as well, and whatever he said was repeated up the stands. 'He's dead!' 'Diggory's dead!' 'Cedric! He's dead!'

Mia clasped onto George's arms, which were still around her, her eyes wide. "I didn't actually mean it when I said for him to die in the Tasks!" she whispered franticly.

"He'll need to go to the hospital wing!" Fudge said. "He's ill, he's injured-Dumbledore, Diggory's parents, they're here, they're in the stands..." he trailed off.

"I'll take Harry, Dumbledore, I'll take him-"

"No, I would prefer-" Dumbledore was cut off.

"Dumbledore," Fudge said, "Amos Diggory's running... he's coming over... Don't you think you should tell him- before he sees- ?"

"Harry, stay here- "

Next to Mia and George, Cho Chang got pushed to the front. Tears fell off her face, leaving streaks down her cheeks. She tried to move forward towards Harry and Cedric, and for a second, Mia wondered why. Then she remembered that her and Cedric had gone to the Yule Ball together. Did it carry on after that? Obviously.

Several people around Cho grabbed onto her to stop her moving, including Mia, a first year boy, and a girl with curly strawberry-blonde hair, who was whispering things into Cho's ear. She slowly stopped trying to get to the middle of the crowd.

The conversation in the middle carried on. "Its all right, son, I've got you... come on ...hospital wing..."

"Dumbledore said stay," Harry replied, clutching harder onto Cedric. "You need to lie down... Come on now..." Moody hauled Harry through the crowd, they passed Mia, who brushed his arm with her hand lightly. Harry seemed to glance at her, but she could tell he couldn't really see her. At the moment, he was blind to everything around him.

Cedric Diggory's mother and father pushed through the crowd, falling to their knees by their dead son. Mia closed her eyes. She really hadn't meant it when she told the dragon to bite his head off in the First Task.

**So there we are. Cedric Diggory is dead. The Third Task is over. Harry won. And he's been taken to Moody's office. We all know what happens there.**

**So… this chapter was kind of hard to write. You know, mainly the bit where Harry and Cedric were in the graveyard and everyone was left in the stands… I think I did ok…**

**So… there's probably only going to be one or two chapters left of this story… but… I was thinking… I might do a sequel… you know, set during Order of the Phoenix. I mean, I have a few scenes set out in my head between Mia and Umbridge… and we'd also get to see Mia and George's relationship progress.**

**So… please review**


	19. Last Day of Sixth Year

**Well aren't you lucky? I only updated yesterday and you already get another chapter! ;) Yeah, I'm just that immense. I was thinking of making you wait… but I'm just too nice.**

**For reviewing, I would like to thank: Adora81, ForeverTeamEdward13, Oogie**

**Disclaimer: I only own Mia**

Chapter 20: Last Day of Sixth Year

The morning after the Third Task, Mia, Fred and George sneaked out of the castle and into Honeydukes. They brought a large box of assorted wizard sweets. The same box that Fred had given to Mia on her birthday. They went to visit Harry in the hospital wing, but found he was busy, speaking to Cedric Diggory's parents.

They waited for him in the common room, with Ron and Hermione. When he came in that evening, Mia handed him the box, smiling sympathetically. "You ok?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah… great…" he answered quickly, glancing at Ron and Hermione. She took the hint and left the common room, Fred and George following.

"The end," said Dumbledore, "of another year." The End of Term Feast was not the happy occasion it usually was. Mia sat in between Fred and George, with Angelina, Alicia and Katie opposite them. A little way down the table sat Harry, Ron and Hermione. Everybody in the room was solemn. Everybody in the room had a sad expression on their face.

"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," Dumbledore continued, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."

Everybody in the room stood up. Everybody raised their goblets. Everybody chimed "Cedric Diggory." Everybody sat down.

Dumbledore went on, "Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house. He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not." Mia looked down at the table, fiddling with her necklace. She didn't know him well, but she'd seen his body lying on the floor along with everyone else in that Hall, and that caused something to twinge inside of her. Dumbledore still spoke on. "I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about." Mia looked up at Dumbledore, cocking her head to one side.

"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

People started to whisper and Mia's stomach dropped. She let her necklace fall out of her hand. Her wide eyes grew wider. She glanced at Fred and George on either side of her. At Angelina, Alicia and Katie opposite her. At the other faces in the Hall. Everyone had the same expression. A mixture of shock, fear, and disbelief.

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore said once the whispering had stopped, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so- either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you, so young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory." He just said You-Know-Who was back. Back? He couldn't be back! But… why would Dumbledore lie?

"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death," Dumbledore went on. "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter." Along with everyone else in the Hall, Mia looked down the table to Harry. He was staring intently at Dumbledore. Mia felt pity flow through her.

"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honour him."

Dumbledore looked at Harry and raised his goblet. Mia copied, as did most of the people in the Hall. Except most of the Slytherins. Mia shot a death glare at the table, and one of the girls's locked eyes with her, sending her a look just as nasty.

Still, Dumbledore went on. "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened- of Lord Voldemort's return- such ties are more important than ever before." Dumbledore looked around that Hall, to all the foreign guests.

"Every guest in this Hall," said Dumbledore, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again- in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."

Mia looked over to the Beauxbatons students. They all sat in a line. Then she looked at the Durmstrang students. They, too, all sat in a line.

"It is my belief, and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken- that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst." Mia looked back down at the table.

"Remember Cedric." _I will_, thought Mia. "Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory." _I will_, she thought again.

Walking down Hogsmeade Station, Mia plaited her hair quickly, then took George's hand in her own. Next to her, Fred stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Do you believe him? Dumbledore." Mia said.

"Do you?" Fred asked. Mia paused, licking her lips.

"Yes," she replied, "I don't want to… but I do."

"I do, too," George replied.

"Yeah. Me too," Fred said.

They got onto the train, where most of the compartments were already full. They walked down the train in the opposite order from when they'd walked down in at the beginning of the year. Fred in front, George in the middle, and Mia at the back, still holding George's hand.

Mia sighed. "full… full… full…" Mia muttered as they passed each compartment. They neared the end of the train, seeing three people standing at the open door of one compartment. Two of them were quite large, standing either side of the blonde one. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. As they neared, they could what he was saying.

"You've picked the losing side, Potter!" Malfoy said, "I warned you! I told you, you ought to choose your company more carefully, remember? When we met on the train, first day at Hogwarts? I told you not to hang around with riffraff like this!" he pointed to someone- obviously Ron and Hermione "Too late now, Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods-" Mia fingered her wand, "and Muggle-lovers first! Well- second- Diggory was the f-" she snatched her wand out from her pocket and pointed it forward.

Six spells at once hit the three Slytherins. Mia smiled proudly as leeks sprouted out of Goyle's ears. "Thought we'd see what those three were up to," said Fred, he stepped onto Goyle as he went into the compartment. George stood on Malfoy as he followed. Mia walked over Crabbe's stomach and sat down opposite Hermione.

"Interesting effect," said George, looking down at Crabbe. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?"

"Me," Harry replied.

"Odd," George said, "I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face," Mia giggled as she looked down at him, "Well, let's not leave them here, they don't add much to the decor." Mia looked down at the disfigured Slytherins as George, Ron and Harry rolled them out of the compartment.

"Exploding Snap, anyone?" said Fred, pulling out a pack of cards.

He handed them out and laid down the first one. The first game ended when the cards exploded just before Mia set a card down. She yelped and flinched slightly, before bursting out with laughter.

During the second game, Mia shifted so she was leaning against George, resting her feet on Fred's legs. He kept pushing them off, but gave up after she put them back up the tenth time.

The third game finished when Mia had one card left. She threw it at Ron moodily, who had the most cards, causing it to explode. Ron dropped his cards and they all blew up, searing his trousers slightly. Mia pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing.

The fourth game stopped as Hermione's cards exploded, causing her to drop them on the floor.

During their fifth game, Harry suddenly asked, "You going to tell us, then? Who you were blackmailing?" Mia glanced up at Fred and licked her lips.

"Oh," said George. "That."

"It doesn't matter," Fred shook his head. "It wasn't anything important. Not now, anyway."

"We've given up," said George, shrugging.

"No, really, tell us!" Ron pushed.

"No."

"C'mon!"

"No."

"Please!"

"No!"

"Oh, te-"

"All right, all right!" Fred exclaimed, "If you really want to know… it was Ludo Bagman." Mia sighed and sat up normally.

"Bagman?" Harry replied, "Are you saying he was involved in-"

"Nah," George cut in. "Nothing like that. Stupid git. He wouldn't have the brains."

"Well, what, then?" asked Ron impatiently.

"You remember that bet we had with him at the Quidditch World Cup?" Fred said. Harry, Ron and Hermione nodded, "About how Ireland would win, but Krum would get the Snitch?" they nodded again.

"Well, the git paid us in Leprechaun gold he'd caught from the Irish mascots."

"So?" Ron said. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Leprechaun gold disappears!" she said.

"But- it must've been an accident, mustn't it?" Hermione asked. George gave a short laugh.

"Yeah, that's what we thought, at first," he replied, "We thought if we just wrote to him, and told him he'd made a mistake, he'd cough up. But nothing doing. Ignored our letter. We kept trying to talk to him about it at Hogwarts, but he was always making some excuse to get away from us."

"In the end, he turned pretty nasty," Fred continued. "Told us we were too young to gamble, and he wasn't giving us anything."

"So we asked for our money back," said George.

"He didn't refuse!" Hermione said.

"Right in one," Fred replied.

"But that was all your savings!" Ron exclaimed.

"Tell me about it," said George. "'Course, we figured out what was going on in the end," Mia's ears pricked up. She hadn't actually heard this bit before. "Turns out he's in big trouble with the goblins. Borrowed loads of gold off them. A gang of them cornered him in the woods after the World Cup and took all the gold he had, and it still wasn't enough to cover all his debts. They followed him all the way to Hogwarts to keep an eye on him. He's lost everything gambling. Hasn't got two Galleons to rub together. And you know how the idiot tried to pay the goblins back?"

"How?" Harry asked.

"He put a bet on you, mate," said Fred. "Put a big bet on you to win the tournament. Bet against the goblins."

"Well, that was smart," Mia said sarcastically.

"So that's why he kept trying to help me win!" said Harry. "But…I did win, didn't I? So he can pay you your gold!"

"Nope," said George, shaking his head. "Like Mia said, betting against goblins is pretty stupid. The goblins play as dirty as him. They say you drew with Diggory, and Bagman was betting you'd win outright. So Bagman had to run for it. He went right after the third task."

"Did you know anything about this?" Hermione asked Mia as George started dealing the cards again.

"Found out 'bout… December," she replied, shrugging.

"And you didn't think to tell anyone?"

"I told 'em it might get 'em into trouble!" she looked at Fred disapprovingly.

"But you could've told someone that would've stopped them!" Hermione exclaimed. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Look, if they sent the letter, which they did, there was only a _chance_ they'd get into trouble. Which, luckily, they didn't. But if I'd told someone, then they would've _definitely _gotten into trouble!" Hermione opened her mouth to say something, but a look from Ron silenced her.

They managed to play seven more games of Exploding Snap before they pulled in to Platform 9¾. Mia looked out of the window for a second, before standing up and following Hermione and Ron out of the compartment, walking over Crabbe's stomach again.

"Fred- George- wait a moment," she heard Harry say. She glanced back at the twins and Harry.

"See you outside, guys," she said. Before pulling her trunk down the train after Ron and Hermione. She ran through the barrier after them. Her parents were standing just a few feet away from Mrs Weasley. She smiled and jogged over to them, hugging her mother.

"How was school, this year, Mia?" her mum asked. She glanced at her mother, then back to the barrier where Fred and George had just emerged.

"Oh, it was well good!" she muttered.

"Say bye to friends, then we gotta get going. Gotta beat the traffic," her dad said. Mia nodded and turned, before looking back at her mum.

"You got the camera in your bag?" she asked. Her mum looked at her before rifling through her back, pulling out a digital camera.

"Ta," Mia said, taking it off her. She ran over to the Weasley's, Hermione and Harry.

"What did Harry want on the train?" she asked as she came up behind the twins. They turned around to face her; George was holding a sack of something.

"He gave us his Tournament winnings…" he muttered, "and then he said he'd hex us if we didn't take them…" Mia's mouth dropped a few millimetres.

"Effing hell!" She said.

Harry passed them on his way to his uncle. "Oh! Harry! Bye! See ya next year!" Mia ruffled his hair.

"Harry- thanks," George told him, as Fred nodded. Harry winked at them before following his uncle.

"Oh! George, smile!" she held up the camera and clicked it. George blinked just after the flash.

"Why?" he asked.

"Well, I'm staying at my cousin's again this summer… and she's really nosey… so she's gunna want to know everything that happened at school… and seeing as I can't really tell her about the Tournament, I have to tell her about something… and that'll probably end up being me and you… so she's gunna want to know what you look like," she winked at him, "it's a camera," she added, holding it up.

"Ron! Hermione! See ya later!" they waved quickly at her, and she turned back to the twins.

"See you next year guys," she told them.

"Bye, Mia!" Fred gave her a one-armed hug.

"Bye," said George. She reached up and kissed his cheek.

"Later," she went bck to her parents. Just before they left the station, she turned around and waved, then ran off out of sight.

**So there we are. The story has ended. But I am definitely going ahead with the sequel. It'll probably be up within 1 week. 2 at the most… I'm gunna try and read the first few chapters of Order of the Phoenix before I start writing it, you know, to **_**refresh my memory**_**… plus, I need to decide weather Mia's going to Grimmauld Place or not. **

**I'll put a 'Sneak Peak' chapter type thing on this story so all you people on alerts will know when it's up…**

**This story actually didn't take as much time as I expected… wow…**

**Anyways, remember, please review! Maybe you could just write a word or two on how the story was overall as well?**

**So… see you in the Sequel!**


	20. Sequel

**Sequel: Balance**

**The sequel to Laughter is up and running! The name of the story is Balance. Um… here's the summery thing:**

**You-Know-Who's back. NEWTs are approaching. Umbridge is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts. Dumbledore's Army is set up. And amongst all this, Mia Homing tries to find the balance between the old friendship, and the new romance with George…**

**Oh yeah! And just to say, thank you: Adora81, ForeverTeamEdward13, **

**XxX Fred Weasley's Wife XxX, Oogie, the anonymous reviewer and rowellylovesgryffindor!**

**So… go check out the sequel!**


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